Not all birds sing, ... 'I need to sing.'" At that point, she'd tap the cage and tell them to stop singing. They listened. After a week, the birds' singing muscles lost half their strength.

The Java sparrow is ready for the video recording. As I hold it carefully in my hand in order to transfer it to the recording cage, the little gray bird bites my finger with its thick red bill.

Songbirds are being snatched from Miami’s forests. Law enforcement has discovered a thriving underground business of trapping songbirds around Miami—to become pets and to sing in competitions.