Alternative name: Black-headed Munia
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Dist. Jhajjar, Haryana, India, 22 August 2019
- Lonchura malacca
Identification
11–12 cm (4¼-4¾ in)
Chestnut plumage, black head, throat, center of belly, and undertail coverts; white across upper breast and down the flanks or the white area scalloped with either black or cinnamon-chestnut feather fringes; large conical bluish grey bill.
Sexes are similar.
Juvenile: Uniformly buffy brown plumage, no black head, can probably not be safely separated from similar age Chestnut Munia.
Variations
Several morphs are described, including one that looks similar to an imagined hybrid between Black-headed Munia and Chestnut Munia.
Distribution
Native range is India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
It is now found widely in tropical areas of the world, including the Caribbean and South America.
Taxonomy
This species was until 1996 considered conspecific with Chestnut Munia. Agreement has not been reached on which of the two offspring species should inherit the name of Black-headed Munia, and which needed a different name.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- L. m. rubronigra:
- L. m. malacca:
Habitat
Lowland rural areas with tall grass, cultivated lands, grasslands, scrub, secondary growth.
Behavior
Diet
The diet includes seeds.
Breeding
The nest is a ball made out of dried grass, placed close to the ground in long grass or low bushes.
Vocalisation
Call: a loud heh; shrill preep.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Tricolored Munia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 January 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Tricolored_Munia
External Links
