Tricolored Munia Lonchura malacca Scientific name definitions

Also known as the Chestnut Mannikin or Black-headed Munia, this species is a native of southern Asia, as well as parts of Indonesia and the Philippines. It has become naturalised in various parts of the world, including southern Europe and several Pacific islands. The plumage is principally chestnut-brown with a black head and throat, and separate black belly patch; some races have the rest of the underparts white. The Tricolored Munia has been widely introduced into the Greater Antilles, where it appears to be established, at least locally, and has perhaps sometimes spread naturally, on Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, with another population on Martinique, in the Lesser Antilles. Most of those birds on Puerto Rico apparently belong to the nominate subspecies, which has white on the underparts (and is sometimes classified as a separate species), but chestnut-bellied Lonchura malacca atricapilla has also been recorded. The Tricolored Munia also appears to have become established in the Cauca and Magdalena Valleys of Colombia, where it inhabits rice fields up to 2000 m, as well as on Trinidad (since 2007) and in Chiapas (Mexico), and perhaps also Ecuador and Venezuela.

11–12 cm; 9·8-14·4 g. Head to nape , side of neck and upper breast are glossy black, mantle to back and upperwing chestnut-brown, rump and uppertail-coverts brighter chestnut, rather short tail, dull chest­nut-brown with reddish-chestnut to reddish-gold fringes, fringes widest on central pair; lower breast and flanks white, belly, thighs and undertail-coverts black; iris dark brown, eyering light grey; bill light grey; legs grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile is warm brown above, buff below.

• Tricolored x Chestnut Munia (hybrid) Lonchura malacca x atricapilla

Peninsular India S from Gujarat, C Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, and Sri Lanka; recent regular records in SE Rajasthan (1 Singhal, S. (2016). Some interesting bird observations from Kota, south-eastern Rajasthan, India. Indian Birds 11(4): 112. Close ). Introduced to Hawaiian Is, West Indies (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Martinique), Middle America (Mexico S to Panama) and N South America (Colombia, Venezuela).

Grassland, wet and marshy areas, scrub, parkland; plains to 2100 m. In Venezuela, introduced population occurs in llanos grassland, below 300 m.

Resident, with local movements.

Grass seeds . Growing seeds preferred, grasps stems and climbs to fruiting head; also picks up fallen seeds on ground. Forages in pairs and small groups; also in in small or large flocks, especially in non-breeding season.

Soft contact call a quiet "tcht tcht"; loud contact call a nasal downturned "nyek, nyek", or a strong "peet!", differing between sexes in tone. Song a series of soft squeaks (virtually inaudible to human ear) followed by a long (2 seconds) thin, whining nasal descending whistle, "weeeeee".

Breeds in almost any month, mainly in monsoon season, in India; in Hispaniola (introduced) mainly Jun–Sept. Nests in small colonies, often with weavers (Ploceidae). In courtship, male holds a grass stem, and then, in upright or vertical posture, with belly feathers fluffed, he bows to female, drops grass, gives a long song and bows repeatedly (no horizontal posture or lateral pivots). Nest a ball of grass with side entrance, placed in thicket, bush, tall grass or reeds. Clutch 4–5 eggs; incubation by both parents, taking turns during day, both in nest at night, period 12–13 days; nestling skin pink, bare or with two tufts of down, gape-flange bluish-white (changing to white with age), bordered black, and gape with thick black line on inner surface above and below, palate yellowish with black bar and two black spots behind it, tongue with two spots or a black ring, black sublingual mark; nestling period c. 3 weeks.

Not globally threatened. Locally common in native range. Apparently fairly common in various places elsewhere in the world, where introduced. Could suffer future habitat loss though drainage of marshes, which could possibly put it at risk.