Ingrained in Culture, Songbird Competitions Reign
Picture: In a village just outside Pasir Mas, Kelantan, bird enthusiasts gather for a weekly event that might go unnoticed by most outsiders. It takes place beside Kedai Kopi Epo, a small Chinese coffee shop in Kampung Parit. Here, the focus isn’t on coffee, but a competition involving the Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)—popularly known as Merbah Jambul. Crested bulbuls are called candik in Kelantan.
In a photo essay by Macaranga, Mukhriz Hazim shows that songbird competitions prevail in rural Kelantan, despite uncertainty on their ecological impact on the wild birds.
