Raptor birds face threat of extinction in the wild

Bambang Parlupi, Contributor, Jakarta

Migrating raptor birds are interesting to watch. But in their search for food, places to breed or a warmer climate, they must face many dangers.

"When the migrating birds reach their destination, they often have to compete with local birds," said Jeni, an activist with the BirdLife International-Indonesia Programme.

The dangers don't only come from nature, such as bad weather, wild oceans and deserts.

Most of the endangered raptors are listed as threatened species due to two main factors: the vanishing of their natural habitats and contamination of their environment. Being hunted or captured are other hazards that have contributed to their declining numbers in the wild.

Sixty seven percent of raptors are migratory.

Here, one of the ideal places to monitor migrating species is Cibulao, a hilly area in the Puncak, West Java.

"In one day we can see hundreds of birds passing through the Puncak area," said Usep Suparman, a 30-year-old in charge of recording the number of migrating raptors.

In early October, over 2,500 were recorded passing through the area. The birds included Japanese sparrowhawks, Chinese goshawks and oriental honey buzzards.

"It is expected that the number of migrating raptor birds passing through the area will increase this year," said Usep of the CIBA birdwatching group of Cianjur, West Java.

Several things may disrupt the birds' migration, including forest fires. During the forest blazes in 1999, only 3,000 raptors were recorded passing through the area. Because the smoke blocked their path, some of the birds became lost or separated from their groups.

Usep, of the group's search and protection division, said that illegal logging was also blamed for the dwindling number of raptor birds in the wild.

"Since their natural habitat is being destroyed, the birds will have to move to find new places to breed. This problem will result in delays in their breeding cycle," he said.

And it seems there is a new problem that might threaten the migrating birds.

"The construction of towers on several hills in Puncak and the destruction of forested areas for farming purposes there will disturb not only migrating raptor birds but also endemic birds," he said, adding that the use of chemical pesticides in farming might also harm the species.

The Puncak area is an ideal place to observe not only migrating birds but also the natural habitat of certain endangered species like the Javan hawk-eagle (Spizaetus bartelsi).