One of the most entertaining things to do if you go to Jogjakarta, Indonesia, is to visit the bird market. There are hundreds of birds, ranging from common to exotic, as well as many other animals. There are countless shops, each selling different things.

Some of the shops only sell cages, and they range from being very simple to very ornately decorated. 

There are all sorts of birds, but some of the first we saw were little chicks.  These weren’t normal chickens though; they had all been dyed purple, red, green, or blue. 

We also saw little owls. All of the other birds were chirping and flying all around their cage, but the owls just sat and watched you. 

Even though it was a bird market, there were also many other animals. There was a whole section for fish, and there were all sorts of colorful little fish.

A cage full of more colorful birds caught our attention. 

We also saw bats!  A few shops had bats, and they hung upside-down in a cage and ate bananas.  I hadn’t seen a bat up close before. 

Vendors sold bird food: corn and other grains. There were also several different kinds of bugs, including these crickets. 

Some of the other animals included mongooses and squirrels. 

There were also cats and dogs, mostly in cages. It was sad seeing them cooped up without anyone really caring for them. This dog sniffed at my hand and wagged his tail furiously when I put my hand near his cage. He didn’t have much room to move at all. 

And another cat started batting at my brother’s umbrella when we passed.

And a cute bunny. Aww!

One of the funnier sights we saw. 

Two red parrots looked out at us from in their cage. 

And one of the last things we saw before we left was a cage full of ducklings.

The bird market was a very interesting place for us to go, and we saw many cool things.

Anders Bruihler is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

All photos courtesy and copyright Anders Bruihler