Wildlifeof China
Chestnut Munia
Finches, Sparrows & Buntings
Photo: Dinesh Valke · CC BY-SA 2.0
Lonchura atricapilla
Basic stats
Diet
Grain and other seeds
Range
Resident breeder from India and Nepal through China, Taiwan and south-east Asia to the Philippines; introduced in Hawaii
Clutch size
4–7 white eggs
Size
11–12 cm
The chestnut munia or black-headed munia is a small, gregarious finch, 11–12 cm long, that feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It is a resident breeder in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and is introduced in Hawaii. It was formerly considered conspecific with the closely related tricoloured munia. (Wikipedia, general species account)
The nest is a large domed grass structure in a bush or tall grass holding four to seven white eggs. Before 1995 it was the national bird of the Philippines, where its brick-red patch on the lower back, visible only in flight, gives it the name mayang pula ('red maya'). (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Chestnut Munia eat?
- Grain and other seeds
- Where is the Chestnut Munia found?
- Resident breeder from India and Nepal through China, Taiwan and south-east Asia to the Philippines; introduced in Hawaii
- How many eggs does the Chestnut Munia lay?
- 4–7 white eggs
- How big is the Chestnut Munia?
- 11–12 cm