Wildlife trade is increasingly recognised as a major threat to many songbird species, with population declines and local extirpations directly linked to overexploitation for the trade. While research has largely focused Southeast Asia, comparatively little is known about trade dynamics and conservation impacts in the Americas. Here, we compiled published and unpublished trade records together with expert knowledge to examine trade patterns within Sporophila, a popular but relatively understudied genus of South American seedeaters.

We found evidence of widespread trade across the genus, with all but one of the 43 species recorded in either domestic or international live bird trade. Our findings included previously undocumented and threatened taxa. International Sporophila trade occurred both within and between continents, involving complex cross border networks. We found low volume but persistent movements of wild caught and captive bred individuals into the United States, alongside unknown numbers traded to Europe and Asia, including Japan. Experts identified trade as a conservation concern for approximately one third of traded species in both domestic and international contexts, with the majority of individuals reported as wild caught. Widespread species misidentification was also highlighted, indicating that available trade data likely underestimate volumes and may obscure species specific impacts.

Together, these results suggest that pressures similar to those described in the Asian songbird crisis extend to the relatively understudied South American region, emphasising that unsustainable songbird trade represents a global conservation challenge. We recommend improved domestic and international trade monitoring, as well as population monitoring, better taxonomic resolution in trade reporting, and strengthened implementation of trade regulations to support effective policy responses and prevent further population declines in the Sporophila genus.