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and sides of the breast. It has greyish brown upper parts and white underparts with irregular barring on the flanks and rump. A small green iridescent patch is present on the outer scapular feathers, besides, especially in the western race, the sides of the lower breast. Wing coverts and remiges are bordered in a paler or warmer tone. The sexes are similar. Immature birds are dun brown above with buff head and underpart plumage. They moult into full adult plumage by age six months, when the males also begin to sing and exhibit breeding behaviour. The race
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661:. Alternatively termites, nectar or strands of algae may also be eaten. Before going to roost at nightfall, they usually visit a watering hole where vegetation is hanging into the water. They roost at night in ball-shaped nests, which in the non-breeding season are built solely for this purpose. These slovenly
665:
nests are dismantled (for reuse of material) and rebuilt almost daily at the same or a new location, in a communal effort. Each party, numbering 8 to 20 birds, seems to be dominated by a single adult male. The flock defends the immediate vicinity of a nest against intruders, but newcomers to a flock
581:
9–10 cm in length and weighing 7–12 grams. The adult is a compact bird with a short black tail, and stubby black and pale grey (not distinctly bluish) mandibles. It is black to brownish black on the head, chin, throat and center of the chest, with some purple-green iridescence on the face
678:
They are incessant nest builders that may raise up to four broods a year, given favourable circumstances. The nest is a large domed grass structure in a tree, into which 4 to 8 small, white eggs are laid. Incubation takes 12 days, and chicks fledge after three weeks, and are independent in another
702:
586:
has barred rather than bronzy green plumage at the junction of the lower breast and flanks. Rump and upper tail feathers only finely barred and almost uniformly dark. These characters are however somewhat variable and unpredictable.
690:
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habitats. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 8,100,000 km. It is the smallest and most widespread of four munia species on the
African mainland, the other being
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in flight, a twittering when perched, consisting of various wheezy or buzzing notes. The song is a concatenated and somewhat repetitive series of notes.
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are easily accepted. They may associate with waxbill or other mannikin species, and may also use their vacated nests. Pairs often
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A party of bronze mannikins foraging on the ground. Alarm notes of a sentry bird will warn of approaching danger
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The bronze mannikin is a tiny gregarious bird which feeds mainly on seeds, including wild grass seeds,
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987:. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 370.
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407:, 1837 – Senegal and Gambia to south Sudan, Uganda, west Kenya and the island of
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which is inhabited by birds with intermediate features. A proposed third race,
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1007:"Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits"
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419:, 1863 – Ethiopia and east Kenya to southeast South Africa, east Angola and
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847:. Mountfield, Nr. Robertsbridge, East Sussex: Pica Press. pp. 68–71.
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three weeks. The chicks are reared on soft green seeds and insects.
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An adult bronze mannikin in Uganda carries the seed head of green
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320:, where it is resident, nomadic or irruptive in mesic savanna or
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915:. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. 409–410.
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The bronze mannikin is one of the smallest munia species,
602:
The bronze mannikin is native to mainland Africa and the
945:. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars. pp. 201–203.
875:
A Guide to the Nests and Eggs of
Southern African Birds
1271:
1075:
1057:
Species text in The Atlas of
Southern African Birds
911:Clement, Peter; Harris, Allan; Davis, John (1999).
440:
433:
312:is an uncommon to locally abundant bird in much of
942:The Natural History of the Birds of Western Africa
780:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22719782A94643856.en
356:. It is locally trapped for the pet bird trade.
590:This species has a number of calls including a
8:
958:The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names
368:described in 1837 by the English naturalist
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960:. London: Christopher Helm. p. 124.
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352:, it is considered a pest in grain and
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1013:. International Ornithologists' Union
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981:Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968).
868:
866:
864:
1429:IUCN Red List least concern species
766:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
877:. Cape Town: Struik. p. 260.
557:10–11 mm (0.4–0.4 in)
540:30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in)
523:48–50 mm (1.9–2.0 in)
475:85–88 mm (3.3–3.5 in)
461:87–92 mm (3.4–3.6 in)
14:
492:9–10 mm (0.4–0.4 in)
1011:IOC World Bird List Version 11.2
984:Check-List of Birds of the World
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506:8–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in)
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755:BirdLife International (2016).
379:. The specific epithet is from
1033:by Barlow, Wacher and Disley,
1:
641:is not generally recognized.
622:, and has been introduced to
571:10 mm (0.39 in)
1454:Birds of the Gulf of Guinea
1439:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa
1480:
1044:BirdLife Species Factsheet
956:Jobling, James A. (2010).
873:Tarboton, Warwick (2001).
712:for nest-building. Green
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109:Scientific classification
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773:: e.T22719782A94643856.
598:Distribution and habitat
364:The bronze mannikin was
344:, and was introduced to
336:. It co-occurs with the
244:
1459:Birds described in 1837
843:Restall, Robin (1996).
937:Swainson, William John
913:Finches & sparrows
800:Map based on IUCN data
724:grasses are also used.
386:meaning "hooded". The
645:Behaviour and ecology
370:William John Swainson
47:São Tomé and Príncipe
1464:Birds of East Africa
1444:Birds of the Comoros
1107:Spermestes cucullata
1077:Spermestes cucullata
1005:, eds. (July 2021).
845:Munias and mannikins
811:"Lonchura cucullata"
759:Spermestes cucullata
377:Spermestes cucullata
348:. Especially in the
293:Spermestes cucullata
218:Spermestes cucullata
1031:Birds of The Gambia
338:Madagascar mannikin
308:. This very social
270:Spermestes scutatus
79:Conservation status
1406:Lonchura-cucullata
1302:Lonchura_cucullata
1273:Lonchura cucullata
1055:Bronze mannikin -
1001:; Donsker, David;
262:Lonchura cucullata
246: distribution
1416:
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1388:Open Tree of Life
1256:Open Tree of Life
1069:Taxon identifiers
1003:Rasmussen, Pamela
967:978-1-4081-2501-4
884:978-1-86872-616-5
663:communal roosting
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402:S. c. cucullata
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334:magpie mannikin
326:black-and-white
310:estrildid finch
284:bronze mannikin
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584:S. c. scutata
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322:forest margin
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318:Sahara Desert
316:south of the
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273:Heuglin, 1863
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784:. Retrieved
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710:Guinea grass
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592:rreep-rreeep
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435:Measurements
413:
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390:is Senegal.
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288:bronze munia
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71:South Africa
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1230:Neotropical
1178:iNaturalist
1101:Wikispecies
999:Gill, Frank
786:12 November
636:tressellata
624:Puerto Rico
427:Description
354:rice fields
350:West Africa
346:Puerto Rico
306:Afrotropics
176:Estrildidae
1434:Spermestes
1423:Categories
1401:Xeno-canto
742:References
721:Sporobolus
628:Nile River
395:subspecies
384:cucullatus
381:Late Latin
330:red-backed
187:Spermestes
1092:Q28847333
715:Digitaria
668:allopreen
579:measuring
298:passerine
194:Species:
132:Kingdom:
126:Eukaryota
43:cucullata
1341:10590195
1288:Q1300907
1282:Wikidata
1196:22719782
1134:22719782
1129:BirdLife
1086:Wikidata
939:(1837).
674:Breeding
612:Zanzibar
405:Swainson
366:formally
360:Taxonomy
253:Synonyms
225:Swainson
172:Family:
146:Chordata
142:Phylum:
136:Animalia
122:Domain:
99:IUCN 3.1
1328:2493624
1235:broman1
1170:7780850
1157:broman1
1144:broman1
1116:Avibase
1017:30 July
815:Avibase
634:subsp.
417:Heuglin
340:on the
304:of the
182:Genus:
162:Order:
152:Class:
97: (
67:scutata
65:subsp.
41:subsp.
1393:890352
1354:179615
1261:890352
1248:927767
1222:158614
1183:367700
1037:
964:
919:
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683:Images
651:millet
546:Tarsus
481:Culmen
450:Length
314:Africa
227:, 1837
1380:79357
1336:IRMNG
1315:6QMNF
1152:eBird
1141:BOW:
659:grain
632:S. c.
616:Mafia
608:Pemba
604:Bioko
409:Bioko
63:L. c.
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