Orange Headed Thrush Imitating Sound

It is very common in Indonesia to create birds, mainly the birds for exhibition purpose, with unique sounds when it is singing. Especially the sounds comes from other 'in fashion' birds, as to date preferred sounds such as: love bird, prinia, woodpecker, sturnias, etc. Almost all birds used for the patron are has high frequency, screechy and loud sounds.
Today, there is only one Orange Headed Thrush ['Zoothera Citrina' - Punglor Merah] left in my list of collection. It still be patronized by those bird mates, to fill its varies sounds.
The first one, from left to right in this picture, is the Sturnus Contra [Jalak Uret], in the white cage. The second from the left is the Woodpecker, the small one [in Indonesia they used to call it Pelatuk Sampit, Sampit is one regency located in Kalimantan island]. The next is a Love Bird and the last one, at the right side, is the Weaver. This weaver should have Yellow color in its upper part of the head, but I think this one is the youngster, so it might have its yellow color few more years. The reason is, when I got this bird first time, it has no yellow color in its head, but after it got its first molting period is finished, a little bit yellow color was arose. So, I said to my self, well, I'll wait till couple years in caring it, till I can see its yellow color and prove that my theory is right. Those four patron birds seem good enough for filling the additional sounds produced by the Thrush.
I have believed as it have been proven, as a friend of mine had borrowed this Thrush for at least one year [last year], for exhibition purpose, when its molting period was came, I took this bird back to my home and taking care of it by my self until it reaches its optimum health after the molting period. When it started to sing again, I just found that there were a lot of new songs it produces. It had imitated the songs of birds which belong to my friend during he store it in his house.

Birds Exhibition/Championship - 2 [The Videos]

This is the video of the White Rumped Shama [Copsycus Malabaricus], the most noisy and prestige class in every birds exhibition. In order to instruct or attract the bird to sing, with all of their full abilities, all flown sounds variance, loudest sounds ever, the owner or the supporter of each bird usually makes unsual acts such as whistling loudly, clapping their hands, blowing whistle, and so many other weird things, in which way those acts surely becomes hindrance and obstacle, for then screw up the Juries works. But, believe it or not, it works ... the shamas has unique character, which the more noise they hear, the more fighting act and better sounds they produce.
The persons in the green uniform are the Juries, which examinating the class and the black uniform guy is the Juries Coordinator. This coordinator has specific task. He has to supervise and controling the Juries works. He also will reminds the Juries whenever there are birds that out of their sight or un-examinated, while it also gives its abilities during the class session.

Birds Exhibition/Championship - 1

This picture shows what is the birds exhibition or championship in Indonesia looks like. Seems the picture shows the class examination of Magpie Robin [Copsycus Saularis].This one is small scale or local exhibition, which arranged in weekly basis. They used to called it the 'Exercise'. It shows that the place is as is or using unused places, no further improvement and not specially designed for the birds exhibition purpose.
This time, it is using the unfinished construction  of a building, seems it is a warehouse, located in the down town of Surabaya. The building is a Spanwerk Steel Structure Portal Frame, Several bays - about 6 meters times 6 bays, with Zincalume Metal Sheet Roofing. The portal members are Wide Flange profiled steel, underneath the C Channel steel Purlins, jointing is using Bolts n Nuts, all finishes is green color prime coat paint. The Base is unfinished floor, made from compacted Granular Base materials and some waste removed building materials and finished by concrete leaning. No shell or perimeter wall is erected yet.
Under the roofing, they constructed a frame for hanging the bird cages. Straight under each cage, they put a can, on floor, where the Juries can plug their flag. The flag is a sign that this bird has been judged, examined and valued by a Jury. There were several groups of Birds in every Exhibition and some groups has couple or several classes, i.e. the Group for the Orange Headed Thrush has Class A, B and C. Each class shall has 6 Juries, so each bird will be judged or examined by 6 Juries and it means there will be 6 flags in different colors. Each class approximately takes about 10 to 20 minutes for completing the examination of the Juries, but it is also depending to the number of the birds and the difficulties to each kind of bird. So the time spent will be varies.
There is a place for registration. Each bird shall be registered first before joining the class. Pay the admin fee for the ticket, get the number of hook in a sticker and a form for put notes of result. In the bigger exhibition, with the more professional EO and bigger budget by several financiers/sponsorship, you may find some pretty girls, which serving this registration and ticket selling, this could be as we usually saw it in the cars exhibition. They put different rate to each class. The rate is basically refers to the kind of bird that being in style, which will be connected to enthusiasm/number of registrant. The funny thing is, the owner of the bird, most of them, like to support their bird with some acts, such as waving the cage cover, clapping, whistling, screaming, calling their bird [name or number] and makes some other noises and crowds. It is very highly unethically, as this will be a hindrance or obstacle for the jury in examination of the class. Some bid event gives more strict rule, which any act that will disturbs the jury's task is forbidden. There is a sanction for this.
Another funny thing is, the bird's owner gives different treatment to each bird for the purpose that the bird will give its full and maximum performance during the examination. Like the owner did in this picture, he took all the food, extra food and the drinking water bowl out of the cage just in couple minutes before the show. This will takes few minutes to hours for the treatment. But, anyway, they shall think and consider that only a little of them will be the winner. :-)
During the waiting time between or among the session of examination, the bird shall resting. There are several palce for this purpose. Some tents or paddocks are available. Some participants prefer to hang the cages in the trees near the arena, as they feel the place temperature under the tent was too hot for the bird and they sure that this will decrease the performance of their birds. As seen in the picture on above, the tents are exposured under the mid day sun ray and surely you can imagine how much the temperature inside the curtain covered cage, if the outside temperature is about 37 - 38 degrees celcius.
This last pictures is a class for the White Rumped Shama [Copsycus Malabaricus], the most noisy class. The security guard is seen, came from the Army Personnel, sit in the chair in the corner of the area. This is the last round. The jury usually gives, in average, three round for examinating the birds. First round is for the birds to give its acts and sings, the jury will put a flag, little one, into the can, then the basic value will be written in their form. Don't forget, each jury has their own flag's color. Second round is focused to the bird that still acting and singing, this time the jury will be more concerned to the several parameters of the judgement. These parameter are the acts, the sound volume, the sound variations, the tones, the tuning and some other variance. This round will increase the value, so each best performance shown will be an added value written. The last round is the time for the juries to decide which one will be the winner. They will focus and concentrate to the prominent birds, evaluate and put the extra value to the best birds performance, by ticking the value or gives stars. The more stars the bird gets, the higher value it gets. Maximum stars they can get is three stars. Each jury also brings three big flags in three different different colors. Yellow color with C Font is represent one star and this is the third winner. The second winner is represented by green flag with the B font that should have 2 stars. The bird which has 3 stars in the examination will gets the red flag with the A font and this one is the Winner, the first winner.

Love Bird

See this one, a love bird of mine, it is a hybrid. Seems its parents were a green peach face crossed with red face yellow love bird. Its has yellowish overall feathers color, some green, blue and little bit red. White face and the body shape looks like the peach.

I put it in the metal bars cage, framed in the artist painted and engraved acrylic frame, as seen in the picture. The cage is heavy enough because of the mounted accessories, the acrylic. Plastic feed bowls and perch installed inside.

The painting in the cage is telling a Chinese story, seems it is about the legend of the 8 Gods [pak thian - I am not sure about this Chinese in spelling or writing]. A very good artist who painted this. The colorful picture with the good line for the detail. Some relief in engraving surrounding the picture.

This acrylic type of cage is becoming popular around year 2000 and only last for about 4 to 5 years in popularity after that. Some bird lovers had turned their back from this type. They have found out that this acrylic would not last longer when gets exposed in the sunlight in daily basis and for the long period. Some will be cracked and some will be uprooted as the glue could not hold no longer. I think it is the same problem worked on other material used for cages, if they are exposed under the sun. It is only a matter of mode or fashion cage, where they have a life time for any popularity.

Birds Bathing

Every bird needs to take a bath, just like other animals. There are 2 ways for birds in its nature/wild for taking bath, using water or using dust/sands. The function of each function is different. When they use water for bathing, they will cleans all the dirt. Continued with makes its feathers become neat by using beaks and also puts the wax from its rear body part on the feathers, to make it becomes waterproof, protect it from the rain. This also has function to create the warmer body condition at night, that's why sometimes they take bath in the afternoon.
When they take the sand or dust for bathing, it has function to remove the mites or lice to get away from their feathers. In the wild, in its nature, sometimes they come to an ants nest, the ants nest produced a gas, kind of Nitrogen, which will removes or kills the mites or lice, so they will bathing on that.

The sample of the bird when they are taking a bath can be seen in this short video clip:

In Indonesia, there were some methods of Bird's Lover in bathing their birds. Especially in using water media. Some of them use water sprayer and directly spray it on to the bird while the bird is in their cage. Some 'hi-tech' bird lover use bathing cage, as seen in the picture on above.

The image on above shows an Orange Headed Thrush - Zoothera Citrina moved from its cage get into the bathing cage for taking a morning bath, before exposed in the morning sun. The Round shape cage is made from bamboo material, made in Solo, Mid Java, bottom part is made from multiplex material, polyurethane finishes. The bathing cage is made from wooden fro the frame, bamboo bars and zink plate oil paint finishes for the water tray and all parts.
Another bathing cage type, used by Asian Pied Starling 8 weeks old Chick, as seen in the picture below, is made from Teak Wooden Frame, Natural Color Polyurethane Finishes, with Aluminum Bars. This one is better than the other one as seen in the picture on above, of course the price rate is higher.

When the bird has instructed to move from their cage and get into the bathing cage, the empty cage give an opportunity for the owner to take care of it. They can remove the waste in the bottom of cage, clean the cage, replace or add the food or drinking water. Those activities would not bothering the birds. Just compare it if the bird is still in the cage, the bird may get nerve.

The bathing cage can be made by some materials. Some cages uses wooden frame and bamboo bars, oil base finishes. Other bathing cage is made from teak wooden frame with natural color polyurethane finishes and aluminum bars, this one is more expensive in price. Limited cage uses all aluminum components. Seem this last one is too expensive and too hot when it exposed by sun rays, even this might be more durable.

This bathing cage has a aluminum or steel zink plate, shaped tray for water reservoir. An arched perch is installed crossing the tray, the middle part of the perch is sink in the water, so the bird still can feel the water in the foots/legs and get bathing if they did not want to get into the water in bottom of the tray.

Some bird lover also create a larger cage for bird to fly around a little bit, with metal sheet tray shaped in the bottom and filled with find grain sands for bird to take a sand bathing.

If you see the image below, you can see this Orange Headed Thrush is in the bathing cage, it jumps into the water and take a bath happily. It has been well trained since it was youngster chick, learned the instruction how to move from its cage and get into the bathing cage, and so the other opposite ways around.

In Indonesia, it is common to use this method, bird bathing using bathing cage. Usually they're doing it in the morning. Some of them used to expose the bird under the morning sun first before bathing, some other bird lovers used to put into bathing first and the morning sun exposing will be done after that.
Some bird lovers also believe that gives a bird the night bathing is helpful, to increase the ability of the bird for the competition purpose. Especially in singing ability, the action & sound and performance during the competition.

FOCUS - A Bird's Cages & Accessories Seller

I have visited a bird market, Bratang, in Surabaya couple days ago. I got little chit-chat with some sellers, which becoming good friends of mine since more than a decade ago. I have no aim to go there, I just miss them, and it is been so long I did not came to visit this bird market. I have been busy with the job I worked last year. Even my farm has to be disbanded or frozen for a while because of that.

This one is 'Focus', which specialize in providing quality bird cages, especially the artist made cage [with full relief carved all over] delivered from Solo or Jepara. Those places were famously branded as the best place that breeds so many carver or engraver artists since last age, after the Balinese. Their engraves products were well known better than any other places in Indonesia, more detail, smoother and much more raises 3D effect. Of course the finishes also has pure effect at the final stage.
In the store I can see some plain paint finished cages in many colors and I could see that those are surely high quality cages [ups, please consider that the price is always follows the quality ... isn't right? lol ...]

Some cages accessories also available and stored in the display cupboard. I could see cage curtain, hook/hangers, clipper, perch & socket, carved bit, etc. in there. Unfortunately I could not find a lot of engraved cages at this time, there were only several cages of that kind is available. When I asked why there is only limited commerce to the seller, he said the the order was booked but the products were not delivered yet, may in the next couple weeks it will transported from Solo. Hopefully I will have time and chance to capture some pictures of those cages later.

The seller was my colleague. I met him first time in 1999. He came to my farm that time, looking for a yellow rumped serins, lets called it 'black throat' chick, a cock one. He got a good one chick from me. Since that time, he was becoming a good friend of mine then. Usually I met him in Bratang bird market or when I go to the bird exhibition in Surabaya or Malang area, where he also put his commerce cages and accessories in the occasional bazaar. For several times I bought birds from him and he delivered it and also visited to my residence.

Cockatoo [Kakatua]

See this picture, it was my present new collection. A Small kind Cockatoo. Seem this bird is listed as forbidden for trading. I got this from a friend who's working as the security guard working in the building, where I am working. He found it in the concrete deck roofing in the top of the building. There was the chains in the leg, which already cut [looks like it had cut it perfectly by its strong beak]. Because of this friend of mine is not interested to take care of it, so he offered me to take care and I took his offer.
I have to buy a cage for it. It must be big and strong enough for it. So I go to a shop, buy a hexagonal Aluminum cage and the price is higher than I expected, but what else can I say, I still have to buy it.

First time it came, delivered to my home, there is only a free and available cage [for a love bird, usually] made from small steel wire, for it. Absolutely, it is only took one hour for its strong beak to freed it self by cut some bars. Fortunately, it didn't want to fly away. It was just perching on some other bird's cage and makes some damage on it.
It is a very smart bird and very crowd bird. Able to speak some words, maybe the previous owner have taught it very well. It is very noisy when it feels hungry, and always when I was late to feed it. Scream out some noisy words and sounds [very lucky it stored in the big house building, so it would not disturb the neighbors].

Fantastic, when it only needs couple hours to start some damages in its new aluminum cage, the aluminum sheet mattress. Then it started chewing its feeding bowl made of plastic. Maybe it needs something to keep the sharpness of its beaks, or keep the length of its beaks from growing. But the damage will apparently increased by the time it feels hungry. I have to give it something to be chewed then.

I am just looking for the sub species or kind of this cockatoo. With a full white color, as seen in the picture, a little bit pink in the chicks and crest, also some kind of yellowish in the back of tail. The body size is about 230 mm and totally about 350 mm from beak to tail. Where is its origin? I do not know yet. I try to find out later. At least I have to know something about it. If you already knew about it, please post your comment and just let know it.

Anyway, basically I did not really wanna have this bird. It is not my favorite one. I just try to know it well closely, how to take care of it, what is its habit, etc. Surely, someday someone will take over it, at the day I feel I already understood everything about it well. Or when I have no time for the bird no more.

Singing Finches for Sale

When you have decided to buy birds, it is now the time you made a promise, a swear, a commitment that you have to have time to be given for those birds. It can be couple minutes, hours, or depend to what kind of bird you have, how many birds, what kind of cage, what is the purpose of those birds are for, etc.
Taking care of the birds is different matter than just to feed them. It is a complex matters of caring the birds. Start from the feeding, cleaning the cage, checking their condition, etc. Absolutely, it takes time.
Once you think you can make it, you decide to give some of your time for it, continuously in daily basis. But, as the days goes by, time has changes your daily basis schedule because of so many other things in your life. When that happened, you realize that you may not be able no more to take care your birds again. So you decide to sell your birds or give your birds to another person who can take care of it.
This is what happen to me now. As I have very bussy for doing my job, the birds looks very terrible. Less of attention. So, now I have to decide to sell a lot of them. Some of it were Black Throat Canary/Yellow Rumped Serins, Grey Singing Finch and Yellow Singing Finch. Those three birds used to be a patron birds for my other singing birds before. I feel uncomfortable for this, coz today, it is very difficult to find quality finches birds in here. some may available in the market, but ussualy they are only second grade birds and useless for any purpose, you can not use for the breeding purpose and some time they do not want to sing no more. Too old or too fat. Regretfully I say and still I have to do this.
If you want to take over it, just check these birds and see their pictures in this link: http://finchpolis.blogspot.com/2009/06/birds-for-sale-lizards-grey-finch.html

Bird Food Seller

The picture on above is a common profile picture of bird food seller in Indonesia. Some of them may has smaller scale, and some of them are bigger. They survived along the crisis, as they live from the birds lover demands for feeding the birds. They will always exist as long as the bird lovers are exist. The place usually looks terrible, close like a skid row.

There are so many varies of the item they sell. Some bird foods are can be stored for days, some will be spoilt and out of date within 24 hours and some will stays longer than a month.

As seen in the picture, the two wooden boxes in the front are container for Crickets. One of the important insects used for extra fooding by birds lover. Especially for the exhibition or championship purpose. These crickets can be stored for couple days in the box.

The other important insecta is 'Kroto', the [Big] Ant's Eggs, as its purpose is same as cricket. It can be seen in the picture stored in the shallow and wide wooden box behind the cricket's box, in a higher rack. This ant's eggs is often becoming rare, as the ants habitats also becoming smaller, the trees that fits its ecosystem is getting rare also. This ant's eggs also quick to become spoilt, so this food is prepared in daily basis.

Some birds lovers believe that Grasshopper will relieves the bird's sing ability. So, one or two places provides this bird's food, but usually it is only available during the rainy season.

Worm, Maggots & Helminth. The [soils/ground] worms also available for feeding. Some kind of maggots are ready in stock. This worm & maggots can be stored for weeks, look how they store it in shallow boxes in high stacks.

The most common fruit always available in the bird's food sellers is Banana. Usually only one [white] kind of Banana used for birds food.

Bird food made by factory also available in there. The brands are varies. There is so many factory's product for bird food. You can not remember all of those brands name.

Orange Headed Thrush Sings & Dances

I have made articles about Orange Headed Thrush and posted in here couple months ago. Including severals pictures and 'silent' video capture. Certainly, it was unsatisfied, so I put couple 'very short' videos of Orange Headed Thrush [Punglor Merah]. The video shows the Orange Headed Thrush while in actions, it is singing & dancing, like a drunken bird. But I think it still will not satisfies you based on the video duration, which is very short.



The bird is always singing everyday. From the morning to the evening. Its voice is very loud. The sound is crystal clear. Its dance style is good enough. But the style is not an 'up to date' dance style, as many people today prefer to look for the rapid movement dance style. It is weird to see how people can turns their mind set all the times regarding their mode to the bird exhibition for the time being.