Bird Market

The other day, Brett, Evan and I visited to Jogja Bird Market. The Bird Market is a giant outdoor market where you can purchase pets such as dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, and just about any type of bird or reptile you can think of. I really was wishing I would have had a hornithologist with me at the time because the Indonesians there could only give me common local names of the birds in Bahasa Indonesia or Javanese, so I couldn't exactly infer which species was wich. There were several parrot species, doves, pigeons, finches, and even several owl species (which I somehow missed, but Brett saw). And I do know a parakeet when I see one:

The birds were everywhere in cages, some larger roosters or pigeons were also just wandering around. There was a place to buy cages and tanks for all the creatures you could buy, along with some tank and cage furnishings. I did not realize birds were so popular in Indonesia as pets, but I have noticed many in cages often hanging outside on porches and also chickens and roosters wandering around my own neighborhood. Muslims generally do not come into contact with dogs, so cats, birds, and even reptiles are common pets instead.

Once again, I can't be sure of the species but the picture below is some type of Woodpecker. Sometimes the birds were stacked several in a cage and other times just one, but they all were fairly cheap to purchase, at least by US standards.

As can be seen in the photo below, pigeons are often fitted with a type of whistle on their tails. I think they are used as messenger pigeons, or sometimes just as pets, and the whistles make noise while they fly so they can be located. Many male pigeons were more than happy to hang around outside the cages without restraint, eager to peck at females and try to court them even through wooden cage bars.

As I mentioned, I was also surprised to see many reptiles in the market. Below: the biggest python I've ever seen! There were several species of turtles, tortoises, lizards and geckos as well as snakes.

 All of the species sold at the market are legal and not endangered as the market is controlled by the city of Yogyakarta. It was interesting to have the chance to see all of these species and really get a feel for the biodiversity of the area, but I still find it depressing to see any type of animal in a cage. Needless to say, I almost went home with three kittens and a dog, but was able to restrain myself. This time, anyway.