Hello friends.
Welcome back to deHakims Aviary.
In this video, we will discuss birds endemic to Sulawesi,
Indonesia.
Namely Grosbeak Starling.
What are the uniqueness and features of these birds?
Let's talk about it.
However, before that, let's first see the release of Grosbeak Starling.
It's The Aviary.
This time we will introduce one of the wealth of fauna in Indonesia.
These birds come from Sulawesi, and physically are lovely.
But they like to suck buffalo blood.
Yes.
So, if there is a buffalo with ulcers or wounds on its body,
Grosbeak Starling will scrape the damage until it bleeds.
After that, then he sucked the blood of the buffalo.
My cameraman has ulcers on his hands.
Yesterday he just had an accident.
So, aviary visitors who have ulcers should be careful.
Let's prove it, put your hand in the cage.
We try to prove the truth of Pio's theory.
Guys, the bird flew out of the cage.
Well, that isn't very pleasant.
Sorry, guys.
But fortunately,
we once released a Grosbeak Starling.
What's the gender? Male.
Luckily,
we managed to find the female bird.
Again, we want all the birds here to live in pairs
so that we can receive the good news of the birth of their young one day.
OK, let's repeat the explanation.
Where did this Grosbeak Starling come from?
Sulawesi.
They also exist in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Perhaps the birds migrated or escaped from the cage to spread to several islands.
But actually, these birds are endemic to Sulawesi.
So, friends, if a bird is endemic to one area,
don't release it in another place.
It can get messy when it happens.
Maybe they escaped from the cage.
Maybe.
But, never mind.
We mingle birds of all kinds in a large cage here, too.
But, later, we have to release them according to their habitat.
So, one day we will have to go to Sulawesi, Bali, Sumatra, and Papua to remove the birds that have been bred here.
Hopefully, we can. Okay, do male and female Grosbeak Starlings look the same?
There is a difference. If it's a male bird, the tail is red. If the female bird, the
stump is orange and slightly faded. Okay, Grosbeak Starling we will release. Bismillahirahmanirahim.
Grosbeak Starling, go out.
Grosbeak Starling. The name Grosbeak comes from the French word Gros-Bec,
which means big beak. Grosbeak Starling or Scissirostrum Dubium is a bird with a
visor similar to the brim of finches, and only their yellow beak is more prominent.
Therefore, Grosbeak Starling is also known as finch-billed myna. In addition, people often
call them Celebes Starling, referring to their original distribution area, namely Sulawesi.
We can also find these birds on the satellite islands of Sulawesi,
namely: Banggai Islands, Togean Islands, Butung Island, Bangka Island, and Lembeh Island.
Their original habitat is in the lowlands to the mountains with an altitude of 1,100
meters above sea level. They often inhabit open forests, swamp forests, and forest edge areas.
These medium-sized birds with a body length of about 17 to 21 cm live in large groups.
One Grosbeak Starling colony can even consist of 150 birds. They like to do things together,
including when looking for food. Insects, fruits, and seeds are their daily diet.
In addition, they also often fly together. And when they're together, they're usually very noisy.
Grosbeak Starling breeds in May. When the male bird meets his mate,
he will part his tail up to show off his red tusk. These monogamous birds breed in large colonies.
Just imagine, during the breeding season, hundreds of pairs of Grosbeak Starlings in
the wild will gather in the same place. After that, they will make a nest, also in a colony.
In 1940, Erwin Stresemann, a German onthologist, described Grosbeak Starling colonies and nests
“as being reminiscent of a beehive, with continuous bustling activity.”
They make nests by hollowing out rotting or dead tree trunks in woodpecker style. However,
sometimes the tree they peck at ends up falling because there are too many holes in the trunk.
Their nests are usually located 10 meters from the ground. The nests are then lined
with leaves and dry grass. The female parents lay two pale blue eggs in these nests with brown spots
and reddish spots. Then the female and the male incubate the eggs for about two weeks,
and after the eggs hatch, they will also raise their young together until they are about three
weeks old. However, Grosbeak Starling nests are usually only able to support one growing chick.
In other words, Grosbeak Starling mothers are forced to give up one of their children.
Grosbeak Starling is in the Least Concern category on the IUCN red
list. Their population in the wild is still relatively safe. However,
we still have to be vigilant because these birds are not entirely safe from the target of poachers.
It is evident from the case that occurred in 2021. At that time, the East Nusa Tenggara Natural
Resources Conservation Center managed to thwart the illegal shipment of 65 Grosbeak Starlings.
According to the perpetrator's statement, he bought the 65 Grosbeak Starlings from
the community around Mangkutana, South Sulawesi. He didn't have any valid documents at all. After
that, the perpetrator plans to offer the birds to chirping bird fans in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara.
Grosbeak Starlings have a loud and high voice, making them a favorite for many birdsong lovers
to keep. Luckily, the perpetrator's actions were uncovered before selling the birds. Once confirmed
healthy, the birds were returned to their natural habitat. Wild animals are supposed to live in the
wild. Even if we love birds, we don't need to keep them to fulfill personal desires. If
the demand for wild birds decreases drastically, illegal hunting will also decrease. Do you agree?