23 November 2006: Bird Breeding in Yogjakrata

A breeding pair of songbirds.

Central Java is home to Indonesia's highest concentration of bird enthusiasts. As a result, there are tons of small-scale breeding operations. Many of the operations are conducted in people's homes and backyards with the whole family participating in the process. The breeding pairs of birds typically produce 3 clutches (depending on the species) and can be quite a lucrative endeavor. One gentleman we met with sent his son to University thanks to the amourous inclinations of 5 pairs of canaries.

Pac Harto feeding 10 day old chicks.

To inhance survival and encourage a new clutch, the chicks are removed from their parent's nest after birth. These chicks are then raised by hand. Chick-rearing is incredibly time-intensive as they require constant feeding (at least once an hour) and the perfect amount of light and heat (difficult when electricity is not nearly as constant as the chick's needs). In one home we visited, the electricity went out and the family had to put an oil lamp in the nest box to keep their newborns warm.

2 day old chicks. Their eyes do not open until day 10. By day 21 they are looking and acting like full-grown birds.

To some, this whole bird-breeding & keeping practice may seem wholly unusual and cruel. However, from a conservation standpoint, this process may be saving Indonesia's wild bird populations. The local bird-breeding association is attempting to require that every songbird entered in a competition is banded with a solid ring. Solid rings can only be put on a very young chick while its 'thumb' is still in the cartilidge stage and hasn't solidified into bone. Although this may not stop people from collecting very young chicks from the wild, at least the wild breeding parents will have chance to produce more clutches. Photos such as these and others in Nick's portfolio will be used in articles and books to entice people to choose bird breeding over wild-harvesting.