Birds in Jerusalem

In the East of Jerusalem there is a group of people that hunt, raise and sell Goldfinch birds. Making the birds pets is a Palestinian tradition. Goldfinch lovers sensed have a passion for the bird’s voice, the strength of its humming and because only Goldfinches can remember the tunes all their life. The birds receive special trainingin singing by a teacher, for one that can sing is ten times the prize of one that cannot. Making a regular bird a singing bird is a persistent struggle:Not every bird can learn the tunes.The birds are categorized for the strength of their voiceto decide on their selling prizes. New Goldfinch birds born in imprisonment go into a solitary phase for a long time to make them learn better. Breeders also work on the eugenics of the birds.

As the geological and structural changes in the West Bank created difficulties for the birds to live there, a new source of Goldfinch birds now is Haifa, in Israel.

This created a conflict with environmental lists on the Israeli side. To protect the natural reserves, they now hunt the hunters, eager to prevent the trapping of the Goldfinches and to keep the bird in its natural environment. The Goldfinch hunters, if caught, are trialed to pay fines or go to prison, so their job has become risky.