White-rumped Munia

The white-rumped munia is approximately 10 to 11cm in length, with a stubby grey bill and a long black pointed tail. The adults are brown above and on the breast, and lighter below; the rump is white. There is some variation between the subspecies, but the sexes are almost impossible to distinguish in all subspecies; males have a more bulky head and bill.

The white-rumped munia is a resident breeder ranging from the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia to southern China and Taiwan and to Sumatra; it frequents open woodland, grassland and scrub, and is well able to adapt to agricultural land use. It is a common and widespread bird across its large range, and is thus not considered a threatened species by the IUCN. It may locally become a nuisance pest of millets and similar grains. Even the Nicobar Islands subspecies with its limited range seems to be able to cope well with human settlement. As it is a drab-coloured and rather reclusive bird inhabiting dense undergrowth, the white-rumped munia is not necessarily conspicuous even where it occurs in considerable numbers.

The white-rumped munia is a gregarious bird which feeds mainly on seeds, moving through the undergrowth in groups and sometimes accompanying other birds such as puff-throated babblers (Pellorneum ruficeps). The nest is a large domed grass structure in a tree, bush or grass into which three to eight white eggs are laid. It has often been observed near water feeding on algae. It has been suggested that it obtains protein from algae of Spirogyra, which grows in paddy fields. The white-rumped munia uses abandoned nests of the Baya weaver.