A popular pastime in rural Thailand is holding bird singing contests. Since this a a Chinese tradition it is perhaps not surprising to find it also popular in Thailand given the large ethnic Chinese population. In this area the favoured bird for bird singing contests is the melodious Red-Whiskered Bulbul(Pycnonotus sinenis). Although the bird is often captive bred most Thais will try and catch a wild bird or birds to either use in contests or to breed and sell the offspring to other fanciers.
Two of my neighbours have several birds that they have caught in traps and use to breed chicks, which they then sell. A mature Red-Whiskered Bulbul with a good singing voice will fetch around 2-3000 Baht but people will pay more especially for birds that have won championships.
Being somewhat of a wild bird enthusiast I can recognise several bird calls, so this morning when I heard a Red-Whiskered Bulbul calling nearby I grabbed the camera in the hope of capturing some shots of the bird since I don’t have any, mainly because the bird is quite secretive and difficult to photograph. To my surprise I spotted a bird trap in a tree near my home with a captive Red-Whiskered Bulbul inside, this was obviously the bird I had heard singing. It was also clear that one of my neighbours was at work trying to increase his stock. Although the cage was about 40 yards away(hence poor quality photos) I settled down to watch and see if any wild birds approached the trap.
In this case the bird trap was a bamboo cage in two sections, in the bottom half a captive bird was placed while in the top half some bait(fruit) was evident. To catch the wild bird a simple trip lever was attached to the bait to be activated when the bait was moved, which in turn would spring the top of the trap shut and trap the bird.
Almost immediately after I had settled down a wild bird approached the trap, it was another Red-Whiskered Bulbul. Unfortunately or fortunately you might well say, depending on your views, the trap sprung and the bird flew away. My neighbour then moved the trap to another tree, I waited. Before long the wild bird was back, but was clearly wary and despite hanging from the bottom of the trap on one occasion it wouldn’t enter. Choosing instead to hang out in the tree singing with its captive cousin but from a safe distance(last photo).
Given that I am a wildlife enthusiast I have mixed feelings about caged birds, captured from the wild. Clearly in Thailand this accounts for a decrease in the wild population but on the other hand does, I suppose, ensures that there is plenty of healthy stock, albeit in captivity. The Red-Whiskered Bulbul is spread throughout Asia and its conservation status is least concern(LC).
By the way whatever your views on conservation and caged birds I would recommend that if you ever get the chance, visit a bird singing contest, they are truly amazing and offer a real insight into life in rural Thailand.
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