White-rumped Munia

Lonchura striata (Linnaeus, 1766)

≈11 cmLength12 gWeight

This small rufous-brown bird has a white rump and a long, pointed tail, and moves through grass in flocks.

Busiest months: October–December · Most records: China, India, Thailand

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Back and breast rufous, underparts paler
Rump white
Bill short, stout and gray
Tail long, pointed and black

Male, female and young

The sexes are almost indistinguishable; the male has a stouter head and bill.

Where and when it's recorded

White-rumped Munia has been recorded at 1,197 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)2,338 records
Kerala Agricultural UniversityIndia1,286 records
Long ValleyHong Kong (China)1,060 records

More places

Yilan – Dingliao Ecological ParkTaiwan (China)869 records
Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)672 records
PeralathvayalIndia661 records
KattampallyIndia661 records
Lat Krabang – Thap Yao paddies & aquaculture pondsThailand521 records
Pathum Thani Rice Research CenterThailand487 records
Dasyueshan IBA – Hengliu Creek (15K)Taiwan (China)473 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China India Thailand Sri Lanka Malaysia Vietnam Cambodia Nepal

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata) or white-rumped mannikin, sometimes called striated finch in aviculture, is a small passerine bird from the family of waxbill "finches" (Estrildidae). These are not close relatives of the true finches (Fringillidae) or true sparrows (Passeridae).

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the White-rumped Munia?

The White-rumped Munia is about ≈11 cm long and weighs around 12 g.

Where does the White-rumped Munia live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: India and Sri Lanka to eastern China, Taiwan (China), Sumatra, Lingga and Bangka islands (east of central, southern Sumatra). It is most often recorded in China, India and Thailand.