White-rumped MuniaLonchurastriata

Etymology:

• Lonchura : Greek word lonkhe – spear-head, lance;   oura –  {Spear like tail}
• Striata : Latin word striatus –striated

Vernacular Names:  Hindi: Shakarimunia, Kutis, Ben: Shakarimunia, Kutis, Lepcha: Samprek-pho, Cachar: Dao-muni, Bhutia: Namprek,Guj: Kabaratapushiyu, Ta: Nellukuruvi, Tinayan, Tinai-kuruvi, Mal: Attakkaruppan, Kan: Bilibenninamunia, Sinh: Wee-kurulla

White-rumped Muniaare small passerines birds. They are also called as Striated Finch.

Distribution in India:Widespread Resident in Peninsular India and North east.

Description:

Size of11–12 cm; wt. of 9·5-13 g. The nominate race has forehead, face and throat to upper breast as blackish-brown, crown to back is dark brown with fine pale shaft streaks, rump is white, uppertail-coverts are brown, tail is blackish. The lower breast, belly and flanks are white, lower belly and undertail-coverts are brown. The iris is dark brown to dark red-brown, eyering is grey; bill is dark grey above, pale blue-grey below; legs are grey. Both the sexes are alike. Thejuvenile is rufous-brown with indistinct streaks above, rump is buffy grey, breast is light rufous, underparts are buffy grey, undertail-covertsare darker buff-grey, bill  is grey; adult plumage acquired in. 3 months. The race found in India are , Nominate (West&Peninsular India); raceacuticauda( North India and Arunachal Pradesh) has brown head and breast, back is variably streaked whitish, tail feathers are pointed, breast is with buff scallops, belly  is whitish with fine dark scaling; race fumigata( Andaman Island) has back  as unstreaked and brown, tail feathers are pointed, upper breast is with reddish-brown feather fringes, belly is unmarked white with creamy-buff wash; race semistriata( Nicobar Islands) has back as brown with few pale streaks, breast has fine pale edgings, belly is unmarked creamy white.

Food Habits:

They are grain/Seed eaters. They are found in open woodland, grassland and scrub, and are well able to adapt to human settlements. They are highly social and can be seen with other birds like the Puff-throated babblers. They are often found near water and have been observed feeding on algae. It has been suggested that they obtain protein from their diet of algae

Breeding Habits:

They breed in Feb-Sept in India.In the mating display the male crouches, legs bent, belly and nape feathers ruffled, tail spread and held higher than body, approaches female as he pivots from side to side: in display he twists from side to side, bouncing up and down at end; in higher-intensity courtship he perches upright, erects body feathers more fully, raises head, sings with open bill, and faces female. The male brings nesting material and female places it into nest. The nest is an untidy ball of coarse grass stems and grass-heads, and leaves of bamboo, lined with fine grass and other fibers. The nest is placed above ground in bush or tree. They lay a clutch of 3–6 eggs. The incubation period is14 days. The nestling period is 21–25 days. The young become independent 35–38 days after hatching

Its domesticatedhybrid descendant, the society finch or Bengalese finch, is found worldwide as a pet .