Orange Headed Thrush/Punglor Merah

The Orange-headed Thrush is 205–235 milliimetres (8.1–9.25 in) long and weighs 47–60 grammes (1.7–2.1 oz). The adult male of the nominate subspecies of this small thrush has an entirely orange head and underparts, uniformly grey upperparts and wings, and white median and undertail coverts. It has a slate-coloured bill and the legs and feet have brown fronts and pink or yellowish rears. The female resembles the male but has browner or more olive upperparts and wram brown wings, but some old females are almost identical to the male. The juvenile is dull brown with buff streaks on its back, and a rufous tone to the head and face; it has grey wings. The bill is brownish horn, and the legs and feet are brown.
This picture is taken on early of April 2009, showing the newest Orange Headed Thrush I collected. I get it from a bird seller in Splendid Bird Market, Malang, in early of March 2009. Once it came on my residence on a rainy night, the next early morning it just got its name. I named it 'Selat Bali'. It has one white color feather on its left wing, this is not ordinary. In Java, the birds which has white color in their feathers, especially in the outer part of the wings [as usually it occurs on pigeon/dove], they used to be called 'Selat' [Java Language]. In Bahasa Indonesia, selat means 'strait' in English. The 'Bali' name I give is based on information from the previous Owner [who put this bird in the hand of bird's seller], as he said that this bird origin is Bali. So that's why I name it like that.
When you try to collect this bird kind, you have to be more patient. For the example, in the next days after I bought this 'Selat Bali', it is singing very good, in loud sound and various songs. This is hapenned in couple days and then in the fourth day, it is starting get into the moulting period. It starts to be silent. Sounds nothing, at least until about a month, 'till the feathers is complete. Once the feather is complete, it is starting to sing again, but only in the very low sound. I've waited for about couple weeks, it is always like that. This is a normal condition to the bird of this kind. That's why I said that you had to be patient.
I started think that it scared of the other Thrush I had. So, when a friend of mine ask me to borrow one of my Thrush collections, I just lend him one. I gave him the old one. He take it at night. Suddenly, the next morning it [Selat Bali] is starting to sing out loud! Maybe it knows that the superior one has gone.

Another picture I presented in here is the Orange Headed Thrush I had. I bought this bird about a decade ago, since early 1999 when I stayed in Malang, during the period I breed Canaries, Black Throat/Yellow Rumped Serins, Grey Finch and the Mule or Hybrid of the those kinds. Today, year 2009, so it has been over 10 years I kept this bird. First time I took this bird, seems it alreday aged about 2 or 3 years old, so today it is about 13 years old. I have brought this bird through the birds exhibitions and championships over 3 years, at least. I put name for this bird as 'Gerhana' to be written on the certificates everytime it won the exhibition.

It could sings various songs. Its origin songs, duplicate songs and other weird strange songs. It is also a good bird who dare to sing at anytime, anywhere and at anyplace. Even when it is in the moulting period, as it seen in the picture [the picture is taken while it is moulting]. The singing style also good enough, especially when it is 'drunk', in the top form, top performance. I think I'll be patient, keep having it and taking care of it as it is always satisfiying my ears with its songs everyday.

The other Thrush I had were also Orange Headed, and one species came from Nusa Tenggara, 'Punglor Cendana'.

Asian Pied Starling/Pied Myna

Asian Pied Starling or Pied Myna, previously it had scientific name as Sturnus Contra, absolutely classified into Sturnidae. For the time being it is classified into the Genus of Gracupica and their name become Gracupica Contra. I do not know why they put this bird into that classification order.  But based on my opinion, this bird kind is close to Starling rather than to Myna.

Famously called Jalak Uret in Indonesia. They have black and white trimmed color over the whole body. Black head color, white chest, black tail, a little bit pink on creamy to grey leg, cream to yellow beaks with orange to red orbital skin. Some sub species may occurs regarding their local mutant habitat. The differential is only a little, such as additional red color in the beaks, or from other origin there were white colors above the beak in front of brow or eyes. This white feather's color had so many varies based on its origins.

The picture belows is taken from Wikipedia, shows the Asian Pied Starling for West Bengal, India Origin. See the detail, they had a little bit red color in their beaks and a little white color feathers in front of their eyes/above beaks.

It was the best one among 'Jalak' family. In the wild, they lived in the shallow trees forrest, paddy's field, near river/river banks, villages. Even in the past, when the people population is  not too rapid as today, they also live in the edge of small town in Java. They used to find worm,  snail or other insects in the rice fields, sometimes they became a good mate for bull, cow  or buffalo as they lived on the bull's back to take all mites and lice from their skin.

After big exploitation in late 60's to early 90's, they became rare in the wild in 90's. This condition is same as to what happened to Pycnonotus Zeylanicus that time. Fortunately, this  condition gave an oportunity to the breeders who could saw bright future and took the chance for trying to breed this bird kind. The result is, they have successfully breed them as the  commercial result also melting profits to them.

If you can find them now in the market, most of the Pied Myna wore ring on their leg. It shows that they are now the product of the breeders or farms. Only a little survived birds from the wild is traded today. It is a good sign, as they have a chance to be scored out from the mark of the red list member now.

This Picture is showing the Pied Starling from Java Origin. They had all black color cap, from base of beak to the end of cap, more lower black color on their chest.
If you try to feed them since they were baby with another adult birds collection you had, you better watch out as it is will resulting the Pied Myna with the songs copied from the birds you had. They are smart enough to reproduce the sound they heard everyday, especially if they are the youngster one.

In the early day I collect and take care songster birds, it was early 80's, the Pied Myna was the one of my favorite bird. It became the patron bird. Another function applied to this bird was the alarm to me. It was not a quiet bird, even in the middle of the night. Once they have a little bit hindrance to their sleep at night because of the person or other sound or light, crowdly they awaken. So, it is more safe to keep them as your live alarm, also protect from thieves. For this purpose, a lot of people in Java in the past put them in the house. Sounds like amazing thing, does it?

Bush 'Branjangan' Lark [Mirarva Javanicus]

Bush Lark, Mirarva Javanicus,or Branjangan in Indonesia name, was the most amazing and also the only ground bird, which used to be a collection pet bird in Indonesia. They had an amazing songs, loud sound [consider its small body size] and the most important is the way they acts when singing songs. They can singing while flying. The 'flying' is very funny as they fly almost only vertically, they could not do the horizontal direction as the other common birds. They use their foots rather than use the wings. That is the reason why they had been classified as the ground bird.

The pictures here I presented on the right side is my collection, the one and only one bush lark I had for the time being. I think I will collect another one, but regarding the number of the bird collections I had now, I have to re-consider that, I did not have much more time for daily activity for taking care of them all. Maybe later ...

The bird is seems not came from Java regarding its color, size and the physical acts [see and compare the other smaller pictures I attached - I forgot where these 2 pictures I get down loaded - maybe in 2005 when I stayed in Jakarta]. The color is too dark, too many brown. The size looks smaller than the Java's. The last one, usually bush lark from Java used to raise their cap feathers if they are male and adults, almost all the time. And this one I had was not like that. Seem it came from Nusa Tenggara or other islands near Bali [or the islands more to the east].

The first time I colect this bird kind was in 1996, or earlier .. I collected a couple. The one I get in Surabaya in 2001 was the greatest one. It came from a bird collector, which used it for bird exhibition or championship purpose. So, we shall know what quality bird was that. The bird was very dare to sing, in any time and any conditions. The sound was a super mega loud. The songs were quiet unique as I had made it records all the sounds I played from the electronic device, from CD player and also patronizing it by other birds such as Love Birds, Starling [Sturnus Contra], Prinias, and other common patron birds.

When I moved to Jakarta in 2005, I put the bird in my family hand. It did not get a good daily care/treatment for almost 2 years. So, in the end of 2006 I decided to transfer it to the care of a friend of mine, a bird lover, a collector, in Jakarta. His name is Mr. Widodo Lestari.
I brought the bird from Surabaya to Jakarta that time by night train, received by Mr. Wid @ 7 Jakarta time in Gambir, the Train Station. He had captured this bird acts once after he had this bird. I attached the short video capture for you can see it in here below.



Seems this gentleman still keep this bird for his collection until today. Unfortunaley, in the next couple weeks after I delivered the bird to the hand of Mr. Wid, I had received notification that I should moved back to Surabaya ... what a life.

The bird in the video was singing loudly while stretching its wings and vibrate it. It means it is threatening gesture toward other bush lark [other bird near by]. An invitation for a fight. As long as I have been informed by Mr. Wid, he also already had several bush lark stored in the same house. So, you can imagine what kind of sound he heard everyday if all of his bush lark are singing together in the same time. hohoho ... it must be very crowd, noisy and breaking the ears ...

Just look and see what is the cage for the bush lark is looks like. Refer to the way this bird fly and acts when it is singing, the cage for this bird also had unique design. The cage is tall enough to give a room and space for bird to fly vertically. The shape can be round or square. In the base of the cage, it must be flat and plain. The Sands or other coarse material should be put in a thin layer, as the bird has a unique behavior. They used to use the sand for bathing. Usually in the wild, this activity worked for the purpose of departing the mite or lice hide in their feather. The sands or ashes from ants nest are sometimes producing gas, which the mite or lice does not like it. In the middle of the cage's bottom, a vertical perch with a stone mounted on its top for the bird to rest their feet while sun bathing.

The birds exhibition or championship in Indonesia had been excluded this bird kind from the list since around 2003. This made the demand for this bird in Indonesia's market drastically goes down. The bird sellers does not in a rush no more to provide this bird. The collector who wants now collect this bird will meet a little bit difficulties to find a quality bird. Not so many quality birds are available in the market. I have checked this when I tried to find a good one last time. And if there any quality bush lark in the bird seller's hand, so it must be very high price they will offer it to the buyer.