TSI to Release Critically Endangered Javan Green Magpies on Mount Pangrango
- 22 Agt 2026 21:35 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) is preparing to release four captive-bred pairs of Sunda laughingthrushes, or Javan green magpies, into their natural habitat on Mount Pangrango, West Java.
- The release aims to restore a wild population of the endemic bird that is believed to have disappeared from Mount Pangrango.
RRI.CO.ID, Bandung - New hope has emerged for the conservation of the critically endangered Sunda laughingthrush, also known as the Javan green magpie (Cissa thalassina). Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) or Indonesia Safari Park is preparing to release four captive-bred pairs of the endemic bird, known locally as the “lipstick-beaked bird”, into their natural habitat on Mount Pangrango, West Java, in an effort to restore a population that had disappeared from the wild.
“It can be said that this bird is nearly extinct because it can no longer be found on Mount Pangrango,” said Taman Safari Indonesia Founder, Tony Sumampau, during the Wildlife Conservation Journalists Orientation (Owaka), organized by the Indonesian Wildlife Conservation Forum (Foksi) in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java, on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
He regretted the situation, attributing it to the hunting of the endemic bird for use as a master bird, a bird kept specifically to train or stimulate the vocalizations of other songbirds. Because the Sunda laughingthrush is highly susceptible to stress, it becomes distressed when kept as a master bird and eventually dies.
“This bird becomes stressed very quickly, and its life does not last long after it is used as a master bird,” he said, as quoted by Antara.
TSI currently has four pairs of Sunda laughingthrushes donated by members of the public and subsequently bred in captivity. “The plan is to release the four pairs of Sunda laughingthrushes into Mount Pangrango,” he said.
According to him, the Sunda laughingthrush could become a mascot of West Java, alongside the surili monkey and the black panther, as all originate from the same area, which is Mount Pangrango.
The Sunda laughingthrush is distinguished by its bright green plumage, vivid red beak and legs, black mask-like markings around its eyes, and a body length of around 32 centimeters. Its striking red beak has earned it the local nickname lipstick-beaked bird.
Its habitat is in mountain forests and highland areas at elevations of between 500 and 2,000 meters above sea level in West Java and surrounding areas. Its main diet includes crickets, cockroaches, caterpillars, and small frogs.
The species is currently classified as Critically Endangered, as very few individuals remain in the wild. ***
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