Black-headed Munia
Adult
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Estrildidae Genus: Lonchura Species: L. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Least Concern ( LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The estrildid finches are small Passerine Birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. atricapilla
Binomial name
Lonchura atricapilla (Vieillot, 1807)

The Black-headed Munia, Lonchura atricapilla (formerly considered as a subspecies of the Tricoloured Munia Lonchura malacca atricapilla) also known as Chestnut Munia, is a small passerine bird. Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot ( May 10, 1748 - 1831 was a French Ornithologist. The Tricoloured Munia Lonchura malacca is a Estrildid finch, native to India and Sri Lanka. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, & Vietnam. The estrildid finches are small Passerine Birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Singapore Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Known as maya pula ("red maya", to distinguish it from the predominantly brownish Tree Sparrow which is also called maya) in the Philippines, this bird was the former national bird of the Philippines (the Philippine national bird is now the Philippine eagle). The Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus, breeds over most of Europe and Siberia, and allied forms occur in other parts of Asia. The Philippine Eagle ( Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the tallest rarest largest and most powerful Birds in the world ^[1]

Subspecies

The Black-headed Munia has several subspecies that are recognized as followed:

• Nominate race Lonchura atricapilla atricapilla
• Lonchura atricapilla rubroniger
• Lonchura atricapilla sinensis
• Lonchura atricapilla formosana
• Lonchura atricapilla deignani
• Lonchura atricapilla brunneiceps
• Lonchura atricapilla jagori
• Lonchura atricapilla selimbauensis
• Lonchura atricapilla obscura
• Lonchura atricapilla batakana

Habitat

Black-headed Munia nest. Nest is dome-shaped; entrance/exit point is visible

The Black-headed Munia is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs and/or provide a place to raise their offspring It frequents open grassland and cultivation. The nest is a large domed grass structure in a bush or tall grass into which 4-7 white eggs are laid.

Characteristics

The Black-headed Munia is 11-12 cm in length. The adult has a stubby pale grey bill, black head, and brown body. Some races also have a black belly.

The sexes are similar, but immature birds have uniform pale brown upperparts, lack the dark head and have white to pale buff underparts.

References

• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
• Munias and Mannikins by Robin Restall, ISBN 1-873403-51-8

External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet