92 BirdingASIA 19 (2013): 92–94 The bulbuls are one of the bird families most threatened by the bird trade, with the Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus being the most sought after (Nash 1993, Shepherd 2006, BirdLife International 2013)—its rich, melodious song makes it extremely popular in songbird competitions and to hobbyists, which has resulted in intense trapping for both the domestic and the international trades (BirdLife International 2001, 2013, Shepherd et al. 2004, Jepson & Ladle 2005). Whilst habitat loss has played a subsidiary role in the demise of this species, demand from the trade has decimated the Straw-headed Bulbul throughout much of its range (Shepherd 2006, BirdLife International 2013). The species was formerly native to southern Myanmar and southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, the island of Borneo (except the southern part of Kalimantan), and the SPECIAL REPORT Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus: legal protection and enforcement action in Malaysia CHRIS R. SHEPHERD, LORETTA ANN SHEPHERD & KAITLYN-ELIZABETH FOLEY islands of Java and Sumatra. As recently as two decades ago it was considered to be widespread and common across much of its range, but today it is thought to be extinct in Thailand, and its status in Myanmar and Brunei is not known. In Indonesia it was extirpated from Java by the middle of the twentieth century (van Balen 1999), quite possibly it is now extirpated from Sumatra (N. Brickle in litt. 2007) and surviving only in remote parts of Kalimantan (Meijaard et al . 2005, BirdLife International 2013). Remaining populations in Malaysia and Singapore are under severe threat from poaching for the trade, and are thought to be in serious decline. The Straw-headed Bulbul is primarily found at low elevations in scrub and woodland, including secondary and disturbed forests, and occurs most often near rivers and other open water bodies (Fishpool & Tobias 2005). Loss of habitat, especially Plate 1. Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus, Singapore, January 2008. INGO WASCHKIES