Lonchura

Lonchura is a genus of the estrildid finch family, and includes munias (or minias), mannikins, and silverbills. They are resident breeding birds in Africa and in South Asia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. The name mannikin is from Middle Dutch mannekijn 'little man' (also the source of the different bird name manakin).[1]

Munia
Chestnut-breasted munia Lonchura castaneothorax
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Estrildidae
Genus:	Lonchura Sykes, 1832
Species
See text

Some of the Lonchura species were formerly placed in Spermestes. Others have been placed in a genus of their own, Euodice.

Taxonomy

The genus Lonchura was introduced by the English naturalist William Henry Sykes in 1832.[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the scaly-breasted munia.[3] The name Lonchura combines the Ancient Greek words lonkhē "spear-head" or "lance" with oura "tail".[4]

Characteristics

They are small gregarious birds which feed mainly on seeds, usually in relatively open habitats, preferring to feed on the ground or on reeds of grasses. Several species have been noted to feed on algae such as Spirogyra.[5][6]

The nest is a large domed grass structure into which four to ten white eggs are laid. Some species also build communal roosting nests for overnight rest.

The species in this genus are similar in size and structure, with stubby bills, stocky bodies and long tails. Most are 10–12 cm in length. Plumage is usually a combination of browns, black and white, with the sexes similar, but duller and less contrasted for immature birds.

The similarities within this group and the existence of subspecies with differing vocalisations and plumage mean that some races may be elevated to species status. African and Indian silverbill are now usually considered distinct species, and the two races of black-throated munia are often also split.

The munias are popular in the bird trade and many freed or escaped birds have formed feral colonies in different pockets across the world.

The red munia Amandava amandava and green munia Amandava formosa also take the name munia, but are in the genus Amandava.

Species

The genus contains 31 species:[7]

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
	White-rumped munia	Lonchura striata	the Indian subcontinent to southern China east to Taiwan, and through Southeast Asia south to Sumatra
	Javan munia	Lonchura leucogastroides	Southern Sumatra, Java, Bali and Lombok, Indonesia. Introduced in Singapore and S Malay Peninsula
	Dusky munia	Lonchura fuscans	Borneo
	Black-faced munia	Lonchura molucca	Indonesia
	Scaly-breasted munia also known as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch	Lonchura punctulata	Indian Subcontinent, including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
	Black-throated munia also known as Jerdon's mannikin	Lonchura kelaarti	southwest India, the Eastern Ghats and Sri Lanka.
	White-bellied munia	Lonchura leucogastra	Malesia.
	Streak-headed mannikin	Lonchura tristissima	New Guinea
	White-spotted mannikin	Lonchura leucosticta	New Guinea.
	Five-colored munia	Lonchura quinticolor	Lesser Sunda Islands.
	Tricolored munia	Lonchura malacca	Bangladesh,[2] India, Sri Lanka, and southern China.
	White-capped munia	Lonchura ferruginosa	Java and Bali
	Chestnut munia	Lonchura atricapilla	Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Hawaii.
	White-headed munia	Lonchura maja	Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
	Pale-headed munia	Lonchura pallida	Indonesia.
	Great-billed mannikin	Lonchura grandis	northern and eastern New Guinea.
	Grey-banded mannikin	Lonchura vana	north-west Papua, Indonesia
	Grey-headed mannikin	Lonchura caniceps	Papua
	Grey-crowned mannikin	Lonchura nevermanni	southern New Guinea
	Hooded mannikin	Lonchura spectabilis	New Britain and New Guinea.
	Forbes's mannikin	Lonchura forbesi	Papua New Guinea
	Hunstein's mannikin	Lonchura hunsteini	New Ireland and New Hannover.
	Yellow-rumped mannikin	Lonchura flaviprymna	Northern Territory, Australia
	Chestnut-breasted mannikin	Lonchura castaneothorax	Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
	Black mannikin	Lonchura stygia	New Guinea, Papua, Papua New Guinea.
	Black-breasted mannikin	Lonchura teerinki	West Papua, Indonesia.
	Eastern alpine mannikin	Lonchura monticola	Papua
	Western alpine mannikin	Lonchura montana	New Guinea
	Buff-bellied mannikin	Lonchura melaena	New Britain and Buka Island.
	Timor sparrow	Lonchura fuscata	Timor archipelago
	Java sparrow	Lonchura oryzivora	Java, Bali and Bawean in Indonesia

Notes

1. New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed., 2005), p. 1032.
2. Sykes, William Henry (1832). "Catalogue of birds of the raptorial and insessorial orders (systematically arranged,) observed in the Dukhun". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 2 (18): 77-99 [94].
3. Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 297. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
4. Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
5. Pillai, N. G. 1968 The green algae, Spirogyra sp., in the diet of the White-backed Munia, Lonchura striata (Linn.). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 65: 490-491
6. Avery, Michael L. (1980) Diet and breeding seasonality among a population of sharp-tailed munias, Lonchura striata in Malaysia. The Auk 97(1):160-166
7. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 2 May 2018.

References

• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
• Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1