This critically endangered bird (less than 50 left in the wild) is, as you'd expect, endemic to Java. It was formerly common in eastern Sumatra (Lampung province), Java and Bali, but is now considered virtually extirpated. It was common in Lampung in 1975–1977, but there are no recent Sumatran records. Likewise, it was common on Java and Bali in the 1990s, but has not been recorded in the wild for several years. There are reports of sightings in Pulau Dua Nature Reserve, west Java, in 2005–2006 and 2013, and others were trapped in central Java in 2010. It is found in a variety of open areas with scattered trees, grasslands, cultivated and urban areas, but mainly in lowlands. Formerly it has been recorded up to 1,600 m above sea level in Indonesia. This species may be extinct in the wild, however hundreds are still reported in bird markets in Indonesia, but are probably captive-bred rather than of wild origin. Fortunately, a sizable population exists in captivity, particularly in central Java. Any remaining wild population is estimated to be very small (fewer than 50 mature individuals), and interbreeding in captivity of this subspecies with its close relatives, Indian Pied Starling (Gracupica contra) and Siamese Pied Starling (Gracupica floweri), leaves considerable doubt over the survival of true wild populations of Javan Pied Starling on Java. Their increasing popularity as cagebirds has caused wild populations to plummet, and it may have been driven extinct in the wild from capture for the pet trade. In Indonesia, trapping wild Javan Pied Starling was declared illegal in 1999, however it has not deterred poachers. Elsewhere, Javan Pied Starling is listed as a protected species in Thailand under Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2535 (1992) and is listed as a relatively low priority species in India under Schedule IV of Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1971).