Peacock may take last flap soon in Java

Peacock may take last flap soon in Java

Bambang M, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Of the various bird species in Java, only the male green peacock
has a spectacular dancing skill. When dancing, it spreads its
colorful tail feathers like a magnificent fan.

It is this bird's dancing skill that apparently inspired the
Javanese to give peacocks a special place in their art: They
created Tari Merak, or the peacock dance.

A peacock (Pavo muticus) is a big bird. The male's body can
reach up to 210 cm in length and the female 120 cm. Body feathers
are usually glossy green; tail feathers black and green, dark
blue and yellow. The female has a black crest on its green and
blue head, and yellow cheeks.

In Indonesia, the peacock is found in Java. It is also found
in Myanmar, India, western China and Indochina.

"Some people say the peacock was brought in from outside of
Java but others say Java island is part of its distribution,"
said Triman Setyardi, a researcher from the Yogyakarta-based
Yayasan Kutilang Indonesia for bird conservation.

The male peacock usually dances during the mating season (June
to August). While dancing, it waves its fan to attract the
female.

Because of his magnificence, the peacock used to be the
favorite pet of high ranking government officials or the nobility
as a social status symbol. A pair of peacocks in a large cage
were usually placed in front of their houses.

Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X of Yogyakarta also has a pair of
peacocks in his palace.

Even nowadays, many common people still like to keep peacocks
as pets. Registered as one of 50 protected bird species, the
peacock is still illicitly sold on the bird market.

"If you want to buy a peacock, just come on Sunday. I will
contact my friend first," said a bird seller in the notorious
Ngasem pet market in Yogyakarta.

The peacock has been protected by the Indonesia government
since 1973 and also is registered by the CITES (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species).

There is no official record of the peacock population left in
the wild. Voice of Nature magazine No. 58 of May, 1988 noted
there were only about 1,000 peacocks left.

Wagi, a peacock hunter from Pilang village, Randu Blatung,
Blora, Central Java, said the bird's rarity had increased its
value. In 1987, for instance, a chick cost Rp 7,000 but now it
had soared to Rp 150,000, he said.

The main reason for diminishing numbers of peacock is land
clearing. Now, forest accounts for only about 10 percent of the
land area.

According to John Mackinnon, Karen Phillips and Bas Van Balen
in Burung-Burung di Sumatera, Jawa, Bali dan Kalimantan (Birdlife
International and Puslitbang Biologi LIPI), peacocks are only
found in Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten and Baluran National
Park, East Java. But some environmental activists claim they have
seen the birds in remaining teak forests in the East Java and
Central Java.

A peacock's diet consists of grass, seeds, leafs and insects.
They like to walk in open places like meadows or savannas. When
night falls, they sleep in high trees.

After the mating season, the female lays between two and five
eggs in a nest and sits on her eggs for about 30 days. When
hatched, the chicks are cared for one year.

People around teak forest in Blora, Central Java, say that if
the eggs are stolen from the nest and put among the domestic
hens' eggs, they won't hatch unless a ritual is conducted.

"Before you steal the peacock's eggs, you should perform the
traditional tayub dance," said Gatot, a civil servant in Blora.

Poaching is another reason attributed to the diminishing
population.

Beside being kept as pets, the peacock is killed, stuffed and
sold as souvenirs.

Researcher Tony Whitten wrote that in 1932, the farmers in and
around Mount Ringgit in East Java killed by way of poisoning them
and stuffed them, or took only the tail feathers and sold them to
tourists visiting Pasir Putih, a beautiful beach between
Probolinggo and Situbondo.

The tail feathers are also a basic material for making
barongan, a big mask used in reog, a traditional mask dance from
Ponorogo, East Java. A single mask needs about 1,000 tail
feathers while a male peacock has only 100 of them.

From a conservation point of view, barongan causes serious
problems because this mask also needs a tiger skin to make.

Many pet markets get peacocks from Randu Blatung, 30
kilometers south of Blora. This region boasts teak forest, a
suitable habitat for peacocks.