Chestnut Munia

Lonchura atricapilla

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernSeedsWetlandDomed nestTiny · 12 g

ID tip

Small, sexes alike, races differ slightly in intensity of colour. In L. a. jagori, the adult has the whole head, breast, centre of belly, and undertail coverts black; the back, wing, and sides of belly chestnut, brighter on underparts, duller on wings; uppertail coverts dark reddish brown, underpart buff; uppertail coverts and tail as adult. Bill silvery grey; eye chestnut; legs gray.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Chestnut Munia

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Chestnut Munia

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 24 countries with regular records, and 4 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Portugal, Ecuador, Trinidad & Tobago, Guam.

About the Chestnut Munia

The chestnut munia or black-headed munia is a small passerine. It was formerly considered conspecific with the closely related tricoloured munia, but is now widely accepted as a separate species. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Hawaii. It also has been introduced to all the Greater Antilles and Martinique in the Caribbean.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Chestnut Munia vs Scaly-breasted Munia · Chestnut Munia vs White-rumped Munia

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