White-rumped Munia

Overview

The white-rumped munia, also known as the white-rumped mannikin or striated finch, is a small passerine bird belonging to the waxbill family Estrildidae. It is native to tropical continental Asia and some adjacent islands, and has naturalised in parts of Japan.

Identification

• Approximately 10 to 11 cm in length with a stubby grey bill and a long black pointed tail.
• Plumage is brown above and on the breast, lighter below, with a distinct white rump; sexes are almost impossible to distinguish, though males have a slightly bulkier head and bill.
• A drab-coloured and reclusive bird that often inhabits dense undergrowth, making it inconspicuous even where common.

Habitat

This species ranges from the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia to southern China, Taiwan, and Sumatra. It frequents open woodland, grassland, and scrub, and adapts well to agricultural land use.

Diet

The white-rumped munia feeds mainly on seeds and is a gregarious forager that moves through undergrowth in groups, sometimes accompanying other birds like puff-throated babblers. It is often observed near water feeding on algae, specifically obtaining protein from Spirogyra in paddy fields.

Did you know?

Its domesticated descendant, the society finch or Bengalese finch, is found worldwide as a pet and a biological model organism. The species is also known to use abandoned nests of the Baya weaver for its own breeding.