Alternative name: Chestnut-breasted Munia
- Lonchura castaneothorax
Identification
11 cm (4¼ in)
- Brown back
- Black face
- Grey crown and nape
- Broad rusty breast band
- White belly
Distribution
Asia and Australasia
Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Irian Jaya
Australasia: Papua New Guinea, Australia: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- L. c. uropygialis:
- North-western New Guinea (Geelvink Bay environs)
- L. c. sharpii:
- New Guinea (Astrolabe Bay to Humboldt Bay and upper Watut River)
- L. c. boschmai:
- Western New Guinea (Wissel Lakes region)
- L. c. ramsayi:
- South-eastern New Guinea and D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago
- L. c. castaneothorax:
- Northern and eastern Australia (King Sound, Western Australia to southern coastal New South Wales)
An additional subspecies assimilis is generally considered invalid[1].
Habitat
Arid bushland, reeds and grassland surrounding swamps, rivers and lagoons, grassy woodlands, cane fields and cereal crops.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet consists mostly of grass seeds; also occasionally green algae, insects and dried animal faeces.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2017)
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chestnut-breasted Mannikin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-breasted_Mannikin
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
