# Tricolored Munia

Scientific name: Lonchura malacca

Bird group: [finch](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/finch)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/260/Tricolored-Munia

## Identification

The tricoloured munia (Lonchura malacca) is an estrildid finch, native to Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and southern China. The species has also introduced to the Caribbean, in Trinidad, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Venezuela. This species, like the chestnut munia has been known as the black-headed munia.  Immature birds have pale brown upperparts, lack the dark head found in adults, and have uniform buff underparts that can be confused with immatures of other munias such as the scaly-breasted munia.


## Distribution and habitat

The Tricolored Munia is a species native from India through 
southeastern Asia to Taiwan, 
Indonesia, and the Philippines 
(Raffaele and others 1998). It is 
a nonnative species in Puerto 
Rico, which occurs around the 
entire coast in association with 
high grass next to sugarcane 
fields, “swampy areas,” croplands 
with seeding grass, and canals 
(Raffaele and others 1998, Restall 
1997). It was brought to the 
island as a cage bird in 1971 and 
subsequently became naturalized 
(Raffaele and Kepler 1992). The 
atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 
13 records within 13 hexagons 
or 3 percent of the 479 total hexagons (see map). Of the 13 
hexagons where this species was 
found, breeding met the atlas 
definition of confirmed in 23 
percent (three) of the hexagons, 
probable in 15 percent (two), 
and possible in 62 percent 
(eight) (see map).Tricolored Munia distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. 

## Breeding

Previously published reports indicate that the Tricolored 
Munia breeds primarily from 
June to September (Raffaele and 
others 1998). In Puerto Rico, the 
nests are bulky structures built 
from 1 to 3 m above the ground 
in dense sugarcane (Raffaele 
1983), but in the municipality 
of Humacao it has been found       251Tricolored Munia/Monjita Tricolornesting in clumps of sedges (Cyperus spp.) growing on top of 
coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) 
stumps (Burger and Gochfeld 
1989). Atlas results suggest that 
this species breeds mostly from 
March to July and to a lesser 
extent in January, September, 
and October (see chart). 
Breeding peaks in May, and 
breeding mostly occurs within 
the subtropical moist forest life 
zone (see chart). Results show that this species breeds mostly in 
lowlands within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (85 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table 
and map).

## Conservation

The global population size for the Tricolored Munia has not 
been quantified or assessed, 
but the species is described as 
locally common (Clement 1999). This species is currently listed 
as a species of least concern by 
the IUCN (BirdLife International 
2018). In Puerto Rico, the 
Tricolored Munia has a protected 
habitat in land of about 6.1 
percent or 19 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding was 
found for this species (310 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_260_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_260_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.