BIG LAKE RANCH, British Columbia— A new study published in the journal Wild reveals widespread, illegal exploitation of multiple hornbill species in Indonesia, documenting a growing trade in live birds, beaks and casques. Hornbills are tropical birds that sport a large and often colorful casque, or bony structure, atop their bills.

“The international trade in hornbills is far more extensive and harmful than many people realize,” said Chris R. Shepherd, Ph.D., a co-author of the study and a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Poachers are killing hornbills for their body parts and capturing them live to sell as pets. The trade places enormous pressure on hornbills, who reproduce slowly and are already losing massive amounts of their Indonesian habitat. When hornbills disappear, forests lose some of their most important seed dispersers.”

Researchers recorded 126 seizures and 231 online advertisements between 2015 and 2025 involving all 13 native Indonesian hornbill species. They also found hornbills from the Philippines and Africa, highlighting major trafficking hubs in East Java, Jakarta and Riau, Indonesia.

Social media platforms and online marketplaces are playing a central role in facilitating illegal wildlife sales. The study also uncovered evidence of international trafficking, including at least four endemic Philippine hornbill species appearing in Indonesian markets despite no required import records, strongly suggesting smuggling activity.

Two African hornbill species were also advertised online, demonstrating the increasingly global nature of the trade and the need for stronger international monitoring and enforcement cooperation. Researchers warn that continued exploitation could accelerate population declines for several already threatened hornbill species.

“We need stronger enforcement and far greater accountability from online platforms to keep these beautiful birds from being sold as pets, or for their body parts,” said Shepherd. “Without urgent action hornbills could continue to face severe population declines, with cascading consequences for tropical forests and the abundant life within them.”

The study’s authors called for stronger wildlife protection laws, improved enforcement, better cross-border cooperation and increased oversight of digital platforms that facilitate illegal wildlife trafficking.