Post by Isaac Ho, the Admin on Oct 14, 2014 15:37:10 GMT -5
HWAMEI - The Chinese Singing Thrush Bird
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by Isaac Ho, the Admin & Founder of this Forum
Way back in early 1970s, while I was still a resident in Malaysia, on few occasions on Sunday morning I would go with a good
friend, the late William Teng (we belonged to the same church at Kepong Bharu) to those government quarters at Jalan Imbi
to watch birders exhibiting their sing-song birds - most of them are the Chinese Hwamei Birds and the Malay Magpie Robins.
Both species are melodious singers and could sing joyous throughout the sunny morning - competing lustily with one another!
The Chinese Hwamei or Singing Thrush (Leucodioptron canorum) is an imported species from southern China - it is about six to
eight inches in length, with brown plumage and both its eyes are surrounded with a patch of white which gives it a distinguish
name "Painted Eyebrow" or Hwamei.
Chinese singers love to compose stanzas which are sung to associate the Hwamei with love and happy romance between two
lovers.
The Hwamei is a very popular caged bird throughout China since the Chinese people favourite pastime are keeping song birds
as well as cultivating a brilliant and colourful varieties of gold fish and carps in their gardens.
In the classic Chinese novel: Hung Lou Meng or Dream of the Red Chamber is mentioned about the rich family keeping and
enjoying gold fish and the Hwamei bird in its ornamental gardens.
The Hwamei is perhaps the most popular bird to be cared for and kept by the happy Chinese people both on mainland China
and the Southeast Asian Chinese - particularly Singapore and Malaysia.
The Hwamei keepers take great care and pride in exhibiting their favourite by hanging them in rows either in the traditional
tea houses or in some favourite haunts where they would gather with their birds on carefree weekends.
If you are a bird lover, I would introduce you to the joy of hearing this authentic and traditional Chinese popular cage bird -
the unforgettable Hwamei.
This feathered singer isn't cheap and sells about between five hundred to a thousand birds in Vancouver, Canada, presently!
Please click on the below url to enjoy a four-minute song by our popular Hwamei Bird:-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbx-UB195pw