Lonchura castaneothorax

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea

Familia: Estrildidae
Genus: Lonchura
Species: Lonchura castaneothorax
Subspecies: L. c. boschmai - L. c. castaneothorax - L. c. ramsayi - L. c. sharpii - L. c. uropygialis
Name

Lonchura castaneothorax (Gould, 1837)
References

A synopsis of the birds of Australia, and the adjacent islands pt2 pl.[2] fig.2 text
Longmore, N.W. (1987): The identity of two taxa in the genera Corvus and Lonchura. Sunbird 17: 28-30. Reference page.

Vernacular names
العربية: مونيا كستنائية الصدر
čeština: Panenka hnědoprsá
dansk: Brunbrystet Sivfinke
Deutsch: Braunbrust-Schilffink
English: Chestnut-breasted Munia, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
español: Capuchino pechicastaño
eesti: Roostepugu-amadiin
فارسی: فنچ بلوطی
suomi: Ruskorintamanikki
français: Capucin donacole
magyar: Barnamellű nádipinty
Bahasa Indonesia: Bondol Dada-coklat
italiano: Cappuccino pettocastano
日本語: シマコキン, shimakokin
Nederlands: Bruinborstrietvink
norsk: Sivnonne
polski: Mniszka przepasana
português: Capuchinho-de-peito-castanho
русский: Каштановогрудая амадина
slovenčina: Mníška hnedoprsá
svenska: Brunbröstad munia
reo tahiti: Vini
中文: 栗胸文鸟

The chestnut-breasted mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax), also known as the chestnut-breasted munia or bully bird (in Australia), is a small brown-backed munia with a black face and greyish crown and nape. It has a broad ferruginous breast bar above a white belly. The species is found in Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. This species has also been introduced to French Polynesia.
Subspecies and location

The chestnut-breasted mannikin has a total of six subspecies and seven forms. The subspecies are as follows:[2]

L. c. castaneothorax – (Gould, 1837): nominate, occurs in eastern Australia.
L. c. assimilis – Mathews, 1910: occurs in northern Australia. Not recognized as a valid subspecies by some authorities.[3] Identification: Richer breast and cream ground color to belly and flanks.
L. c. ramsayi – Delacour, 1943: occurs in southeastern Papua New Guinea. Identification: Distinctive black head with faint scalloping. Female is more noticeable than the male.
L. c. boschmai – Junge, 1952: occurs in Lake Wissel area in Irian Jaya. Identification: Brown scallops on the flanks and paler to straw on the upper tail-coverts.
L. c. sharpii – (Madarász, 1894): occurs in Hollandia, Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea. Identification: Pale grey on the head, and dull upper tail-coverts.
L. c. uropygialis – Stresemann & Paludan, 1934: occurs in Geelvink Bay in western Irian Jaya. Identification: Grey on the head not so pale, and note orange on the long upper tail-coverts.

L. castaneothorax occurs in Tahiti. Apparently, it is descended from L. c. castaneothorax. They are distinguished today by having paler underparts and by the scalloping of the nape extended onto the mantle.
Habitat

In Australia, the chestnut-breasted mannikin is known as a bird of reed beds and rank grasses bordering rivers, in swamp, in grassy country, and mangroves. It is commonly found in cane fields and cereal crops. In dry seasons, it is seen in arid country but always near water. It is also found in grassy woodland.[4]

John Gould wrote of it (quoted in Cayley, 1932):[5]

I had not the good fourtune to meet with this bird in a state of nature, but I have been informed that it frequents reed beds bordering the banks of rivers and lagoons on the eastern coast, and that it much resembles the Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus, of Europe in the alertness with which it passes up and down the upright stems of reeds, from the lower part to the very top, a habit for which the lengthened and curved form of its claws seem well adapted.

In New Guinea, the chestnut-breasted mannikin is a bird of drier areas and does not usually seen in jungle roads and clearings where other munias such as grey-headed mannikin are found.

In French Polynesia, it is well established as an introduced species, and its habits have developed somewhat differently, indicating the adaptability of the species. It is widespread on the bracken-covered hill slopes, in pastures and gardens (it is not a garden bird in Australia), on cultivated land and wasteland, in forest ecotones and coconut plantations (Lever 1989).
Habits and food

In Australia, during the breeding season chestnut-breasted mannikins are mostly seen in pairs, but in late autumn and winter months it congregates in large flocks, at times eating seeds of cereal crops.

Chestnut-breasted mannikin is a highly sociable species, flocking in large number outside the breeding season. Breeding birds will join groups or flocks when foraging.

It has a distinct liking for barley seed and thus the local people give it a name "barley bird".[5] The species is also fond of paspalum grass Paspalum longifolium, bullrush millet Pennisetum typhoides and Sorghum species. It has also been recorded that it feeds on feral millet Pannicum maximum and wild sugar cane Saccharum robustum in Papua New Guinea (Bapista 1990).

References

BirdLife International (2018). "Lonchura castaneothorax". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22719886A132133113. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22719886A132133113.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D., eds. (2014). "IOC World Bird List: Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors & pipits". IOC World Bird List. doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.4.4. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
"Lonchura castaneothorax castaneothorax (assimilis)". Avibase.
Slater, Peter; Slater, Pat; Slater, Raoul (1986). The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds. Sydney, Australia: Rigby. ISBN 0-7270-2085-4.

Cayley, Neville W. (1932). Australian finches in bush and aviary. Angus & Robertson.

Restall, Robin (January 1996). Munias and Mannikins. Pica Press. ISBN 1-873403-51-8.