Never judge a bird by its feathers: genetics unveils the true target of trafficking in morphologically similar Copsychus species

Trends in wildlife crime continue to rise and contribute to the ongoing decline of our planets biodiversity. We applied a genetic approach to ascertain the geographic origin of a suspected Seychelles Magpie-robin confiscated in Singapore during international transit, and to confirm illegal trade of this species. However, mitochondrial analyses revealed this individual to be a subspecies of Oriental Magpie-robin, endemic to the island of Borneo, and bearing similar morphology to the Seychelles species. We thus consider the implications of correct species identification on captive care and repatriation in cases of wildlife confiscation, and emphasise the value of using genetics in wildlife crime investigation.