we have come to visit heri pranoto, a leader of a bird breeding association called the pbi. organises events where competitors pit their singing birds against each other. birdsong. what is the prize money? the prize is 5 million, until maybe 1 billion. 1 billion rupiah? us$100,000 for the main prize. yes. wow. this is for the champion of champions. one of your birds is five times national champion? national champion. valuable bird! (laughs). while the big money is saved for the national championships, you can find smaller events across the country, every single weekend. we have heard a lot about bird singing competitions, and the absolute obsession in this country, and we have managed to arrange to go to one at bekasi, which is about two hours from here, which i think in this traffic means it's about three miles away, so we'll see if we ever make it. birdsong. chanting. the bird breeders association club have given me a t—shirt, and it is the official club dress, so i have to wear it during the competition. i am a guestjudge today, which should be interesting. birdsong. appa