White-headed Munia

Lonchura maja (Linnaeus, 1766)

White-headed Munia, Lonchura maja, is a passerine of the Estrildidae family that breeds in the Oriental Region, from the Malay Peninsula and southern Vietnam to Sumatra, Java and Bali. It is a small bird with a striking white head and throat set against a chocolate-brown body, with chestnut-brown upperparts, flanks and wings, a black-brown tail and a black belly. The bill and legs are light grey. It was first described by Linnaeus in 1766 and is often mistaken for the Pale-headed munia, which lacks the black belly and has paler flanks.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Estrildidae — Waxbills, Munias & Allies

Breeding range

Oriental Region: Malay Pen., s Vietnam, Sumatra, Java and Bali