Chestnut Munia Life History

Habitat

Chestnut Munias occur in grasslands, freshwater marshes, rice paddies, sugarcane and pineapple fields, scrubby areas, and coastal mangroves. In their native range, they can occur as high as 2,100 meters (6,900 feet) elevation. They also visit gardens.

Food

Chestnut Munias eat rice and other grass seeds. They feed both on the ground and while perched on grass stems.

Nesting

Nest Placement

Placed low in reeds, grasses, shrubs, or trees, usually 0.2–1.8 meters (0.7–5.9 feet) above the ground or water.

Nest Description

A ball of grass and leaves, with a side entrance.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

Chestnut Munias are social birds, foraging in flocks that can be large even during the breeding season. They sometimes nest in loose colonies. In parts of their range they forage in flocks with Streaked Weavers or Spotted Munias. Incubation lasts 12–13 days, and both parents care for the young, which fledge after about three weeks and become independent after 6–7 weeks.

Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Chestnut Munia’s conservation status as Least Concern. While there is no population estimate for this species, it has an extremely large range and a stable population trend.

Credits

BirdLife International. 2024. Lonchura atricapilla. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T22729138A263942035. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T22729138A263942035.en.

Clement, P., A. Harris, and J. Davis. (1993). Finches and Sparrows. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Floyd, T. (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.

Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp, and T. Inskipp (2011). A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Hsiao, M. C., C. L. Li, and J. L. Wu (2017). A Field Guide to the Birds of Taiwan. Wild Bird Society Of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan.

Payne, R. B. (2020). Chestnut Munia (Lonchura atricapilla), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.chemun.01

Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Raine, H. and A. F. Raine (2020). American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Hawai'i. Scott & Nix, Inc. New York, NY, USA.

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