Songbird competitions are a popular pastime in Indonesia
Owners win prizes and socialise, but their hobby is endangering the birds
Some men spend their weekends watching football. Imam Safi’i and his mates spend theirs watching songbirds warble. Hundreds of songbird contests take place across Indonesia every year. On most weekends Mr Imam and his friends attend duels in Jakarta, the capital, rooting for their pet crooners. The birds are assessed by referees who grade the complexity and range of their melodies, as well as their stamina and posture as they flit around their cages.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Avian idol”
Asia May 28th 2022
- Taiwan is worried about the security of its chip industry
- Joe Biden vows to deepen America’s ties with South Korea
- An election in Bangkok heralds an optimistic new kind of politics
- Songbird competitions are a popular pastime in Indonesia
- Australian voters have had enough of climate inaction
- India’s exams are plagued by cheating
- Abe Shinzo still looms large over Japan
From the May 28th 2022 edition
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