Munias and Mannikins

by Restall, Robin L.

• ISBN13: 9780300071092
• ISBN10: 0300071094
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-03-01
• Publisher: Yale Univ Pr

Summary

Munias and mannikins (the names are interchangeable) comprise a single genus of 41 species of seed-eating passerines inhabiting the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. The author has been studying munias and mannikins for many years, both in the field and in his own aviaries. His extensive travels have enabled him to see most of the species in the wild and in addition he has kept many of them in captivity, giving him a unique opportunity to study them at close quarters. The book is illustrated with 16 color plates of perched birds in field guide style depicting every known plumage, plus a unique set of 64 plates of colored 'measured drawings' of individual birds to show plumage variation. There are also numerous line drawings, most of which show behavior never before illustrated or described. The result of this original research is a comprehensive monograph covering every species and subspecies in breathtaking detail.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	9	(2)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS	11	(2)
TAXONOMY AND RELATIONSHIPS	13	(3)
NATURAL HISTORY OF MUNIAS AND MANNIKINS	16	(7)
COLOUR PLATES 1 - 16	23	(34)
SYSTEMATIC SECTION	57	(53)
Madagascar Mannikin Lonchura nana	59	(1)
African Silverbill Lonchura cantans	60	(3)
Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica	63	(3)
Pearl-headed Mannikin Lonchura griseicapilla	66	(2)
Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata	68	(3)
Black-and-White Mannikin Lonchura bicolor	71	(3)
Magpie Mannikin Lonchura fringilloides	74	(3)
White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata	77	(8)
Javan Munia Lonchura leucogastroides	85	(3)
Dusky Munia Lonchura fuscans	88	(1)
Moluccan Munia Lonchura molucca	89	(4)
Spot-sided Munia Lonchura sp.	93	(1)
Hill Munia Lonchura kelaarti	94	(3)
Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata	97	(8)
White-bellied Munia Lonchura leucogastra	105	(5)
Introduction to Streak-headed and White-spotted Mannikins	110	(8)
Streak-headed Mannikin Lonchura tristissima	111	(4)
White-spotted Mannikin Lonchura leucosticla	115	(3)
Introduction to the Chestnut Munia Group	118	(67)
Tricoloured Munia Lonchura malacca	119	(3)
Chestnut Munia Lonchura atricapilla	122	(8)
Black-throated Munia Lonchura ferruginosa	130	(2)
Five-coloured Munia Lonchura quinticolor	132	(3)
White-headed Munia Lonchura maja	135	(4)
Pale-headed Munia Lonchura pallida	139	(2)
Grand Mannikin Lonchura grandis	141	(4)
Grey-banded Mannikin Lonchura vana	145	(1)
Grey-headed Mannikin Lonchura caniceps	146	(3)
Grey-crowned Mannikin Lonchura nevermanni	149	(3)
Hooded Mannikin Lonchura spectabilis	152	(4)
Hunstein's Mannikin Lonchura hunsteini	156	(2)
New Ireland Mannikin Lonchura forbesi	158	(1)
Yellow-rumped Mannikin Lonchura flaviprymna	159	(2)
Cream-bellied Munia Lonchura pallidiventer	161	(1)
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax	162	(5)
Black Mannikin Lonchura stygia	167	(2)
Black-breasted Mannikin Lonchura teerinki	169	(3)
Snow Mountain Mannikin Lonchura montana	172	(1)
Alpine Mannikin Lonchura monticola	173	(1)
Thick-billed Mannikin Lonchura melaena	174	(1)
Pictorella Mannikin Lonchura pectoralis	175	(2)
Java Sparrow Lonchura oryzivora	177	(5)
Timor Sparrow Lonchura fuscata	182	(3)
MEASURED DRAWINGS: PLATES 17-80	185	(70)
BIBLIOGRAPHY	255	(6)
INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC AND ENGLISH NAMES	261