Scaly-breasted Munia
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Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae

[Photo] Adult Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Date 29.10.05. Author: J.M.Garg (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:J.M.Garg).

Copyright (C) 2005 J. M. Garg Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

The Scaly-breasted Munia, Lonchura punctulata also known as Nutmeg Mannikin or Spice Finch is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and the Philippines. The Scaly breasted Munia has been introduced in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic (Bond, James, Birds of the West Indies), where it has been observed in a colony in Santo Domingo.

Habitat
The Scaly-breasted Munia is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on seeds. It frequents open woodland and cultivation. The nest is a large domed grass structure in a tree or under the eaves of a house into which 4???10 white eggs are laid.

Characteristics
The Scaly-breasted Munia is 11???12cm in length. The adult has a stubby dark bill, brown upperparts and darker brown head. The underparts are white with black scale markings. The sexes are similar, but immature birds have pale brown upperparts, lack the darker head and have uniform buff underparts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaly-breasted_Munia

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