Trends in the global trade of live CITES-listed raptors: Trade volumes, spatiotemporal dynamics and conservation implications

The global legal wildlife trade is worth US$4-20 billion to the world’s
economy every year. Raptors frequently enter the wildlife trade for use as
display animals, by falconers or hobbyists for sport and recreation. Using
data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora’s (CITES) Trade Database, we examined trends in the
global, legal commercial trade of CITES-listed raptors between 1975-2020.
Overall 272 raptor species were traded, totalling 188,149 individuals,
with the number of traded raptors increasing over time. Hybrid Falcons (N
= 50,366) were most commonly traded, comprising more than a third of the
global diurnal CITES-listed raptor trade, followed by Gyrfalcons (Falco
rusticolus; N = 30,510), Saker Falcons (F. cherrug; N = 21,679), Peregrine
Falcons (F. peregrinus; N = 13,390) and Northern White-faced Owls
(Ptilopsis leucotis; N = 6,725). More than half of wild-caught diurnal
raptors were classified as globally threatened. The United Kingdom was the
largest exporter of live raptors and the United Arab Emirates was the
largest importer. More affluent countries were likely to import more
raptors than those less affluent. Larger-bodied diurnal species were
traded more relative to their smaller-bodied conspecifics. Following the
introduction of the European Union’s Wild Bird Trade Ban in 2005, the
number of traded wild-caught raptors declined. Despite its limitations,
the CITES Trade Database provides an important baseline of the legal trade
of live raptors for commercial purposes. However, better understanding of
illegal wildlife trade networks and smuggling routes, both on-the-ground
and online, are essential for future conservation efforts.