129 Bird Species Live in Jakarta Green Spaces: Birdwatcher Group

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Birdwatcher Society (JBS) announced there are 129 species of birds wildly living in green spaces (RTH) across the capital city.

“We have recorded 129 bird species in 19 RTH in Jakarta. Six of which are endangered species,” said the group coordinator Ady Kristanto in Jakarta, Monday, July 22.

The six endemic species are Javan lathe (Centropus nigrorufus), white starlings (Sturnus melanopterus), Javanese kettle (Charadrius javanicus), Christmas frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi), milky stork (Mycteria cinerea), and Asian darter (Anhinga melanogaster).

Those species were seen in 19 open green areas: Muara Angke wildlife reserve, Ragunan Zoo, Srengseng City Forest, Angke Kapuk protected forest, Menteng, Kebayoran, Angke Kapuk Natural Park; Cibubur Buperta (camping ground), Kemayoran City Forest, Monas area, Ragunan Buperta (camping ground), Tebet, Ancol, Kali Pesanggrahan, Manggala Wanabakti, Senayan, Ciliwung, UI City Forest, and Situ Babakan.

In addition to local species, JBS also recorded several species of migratory birds in the city’s open spaces during a migration period, namely Asian honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus),  Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis) that are a kind of birds of prey.

Moreover, there are also migratory birds along the coastal areas of Jakarta, such as Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis vulva) and Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus).

“Although Jakarta’s green spaces are not reached 30 percent or around 9.8 percent of total city’s area, the capital still becomes the transit place of migratory birds,” he said.

Ady then reminded the government to put serious concerns to preserve the ecosystem sustainability, especially in West Jakarta that has the least area of green space.

ANTARA