Scaly-breasted Munia
Lonchura punctulata· 梅花雀科(1 photos)
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Scaly-breasted Munia
10.5-11.5 cm. Face/throat dark brown; underparts whitish, with fine scaly cinnamon-brown pattern. Immature: pale brown above, plain brownish yellow below; tail yellow-grey. Pairs, flocks: forages in grasses, weeds, climbs stems; flicks wings, swings tail; perches fences, overhead wires. Flocks fly fast with simultaneous turns; drop.
- Other name
- Scaly-breasted Mannikin.
- Similar Species
- imm. Chestnut-breasted paler below.
- Voice
- sharp 'kit-tee'.
- Habitat
- grasslands, crops, rank roadside growth, urban wastelands, lantana thickets, vineyards.
- Breeding
- spring-summer, se. Aust., all months ne. Q.
- Nest
- bottle of coarse green grass, leaves, bark; lined with grass, seed-heads; 1-10 m in shrub, tree, often in colony; sheds, buildings.
- Eggs
- 4-7; white.
- Range & Status
- native from India to s. China, Malaysia, Philippines to e. Indonesia. Introduced from aviary escapes near Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton (Q), Sydney (NSW), from c. 1930. Widespread from c. Cooktown (Q) to Moruya (NSW), mostly coastal, but inland to Miles (Q), Mudgee (NSW). Common; expanding.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Lonchura punctulata topela
