Chestnut Munia is an Indian bird that bears a scientific name "Lonchura atricapilla" concentrated in the Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Cooch Behar District and the entire Eastern Ghats Mountain Range in India.
Concentration of Chestnut Munia
Chestnut Munia is formerly considered as a subspecies of the tricoloured munia, Lonchura malacca atricapilla), also known as Black-Headed Munia, is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Hawaii. Chestnut Munia is also been seen in regions of North Eastern part of India like Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.
National Bird of Chestnut Munia
Before 1995, Chestnut Munia was the national bird of the Philippines, where it is known as mayang pula because of its brick red patch on the lower back which is visible only when it flies.
Feeding of Chestnut Munia
Chestnut Munia is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds.
Habitat of Chestnut Munia
Chestnut Munia frequents open grassland and cultivation.
Nests of Chestnut Munia
The nest of Chestnut Munia is a large domed grass structure in a bush or tall grass into which 4-7 white eggs are laid.
Structure of Chestnut Munia
Chestnut Munia is 11-12 centimeters in length. The adult Chestnut munia has a stubby pale grey-blue bill, black head, and brown body, with a brick red patch on the lower back, visible only when it flies. Some races also have a black belly.
Sexes of Chestnut Munia
The sexes of Chestnut Munia are similar, but immature birds have uniform pale brown upperparts, lack the dark head and have white to pale buff under parts.