Black-throated Munia
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Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae

[Photo] Black-throated Munia (Lonchura kelaarti) at Thattekad, Kerala, India. Source: Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/1557346416/). Date: 8th. October 2007. Author: Lip Kee (www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/).

The Black-throated Munia or Jerdon's Mannikin (Lonchura kelaarti) is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in the hills of southwest India, the Eastern Ghats and Sri Lanka.

Subspecies
The endemic Sri Lankan subspecies, Lonchura kelaarti kelaarti is sometimes considered to as a separate species distinct from Lonchura kelaarti jerdoni of the Western Ghats of India.

Habitat
The Black-throated Munia is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on seeds. It frequents open hill woodland and cultivation. The nest is a large domed grass structure in a tree or creepers on a house into which 3-8 white eggs are laid in India, and usually five in Sri Lanka.

Characteristics
The Black-throated Munia is 12cm in length with a long black tail. The adult of the south Indian has a stubby grey bill, dark brown upperparts and blackish head, breast and wings. Lonchura kelaarti kelaarti has pinkish underparts and rump, and Lonchura kelaarti jerdoni has barred black and white underparts and rump. The sexes are similar, but immature lack the darker head and have uniform underparts.

Commemoration
The binomial commemorates the zoologist Edward Frederick Kelaart and the name was given by Thomas C. Jerdon in 1863.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-throated_Munia

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