Tricoloured munia

Tricoloured munia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Lonchura
Species: L. malacca
Binomial name
Lonchura malacca
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms

Loxia malacca Linnaeus, 1766

The tricoloured munia (Lonchura malacca) is an estrildid finch, native to Bangladesh,[2] India, Sri Lanka, and southern China. The species was also introduced to Trinidad, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. This species like the chestnut munia has been known as the black-headed munia. Immature birds have pale brown upperparts, lack the dark head found in adults, and have uniform buff underparts that can be confused with immatures of other munias such as the scaly-breasted munia.

Taxonomy

The chestnut munia was formerly considered conspecific with this species. Estrildinae may have originated in India and dispersed thereafter (towards Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats).[3]

Habitat

The tricoloured munia is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It inhabits wet grassland habitats. It may also be found in tropical lowland moist forest habitats.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Lonchura malacca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ↑ https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/RL-549.3-003-v.3.pdf
  3. ↑ Arnaiz-Villena, A; Ruiz-del-Valle V; Gomez-Prieto P; Reguera R; Parga-Lozano C; Serrano-Vela I (2009). "Estrildinae Finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a Molecular Phylogeographic Study" (PDF). The Open Ornithology Journal. 2: 29–36. doi:10.2174/1874453200902010029.
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