by SimonvanderMeer - Traditional Art / Paintings / Animals©2013-2014

Sii'ënëzlë Lanaca - White-naped Mannikin - Lonchura leucochlamys

A small and unmistakable munia from the West-Qëŧgħır'ın subcontinent (India). It is all blackish brown, relieved by off-white rump and tail feathers and a large nape patch in the same colour. The beak is bicoloured: upper mandible is black while the lower is very pale silverish grey. Juveniles are concolorous greyish brown with slightly paler areas at the nape and tail regions.

This gregarious little finch can be considered the Tebiyet'in counterpart of our Earth's White-rumped Munia (Lonchura striata), and, like that species, it comes in several races. The nominate race from the western part of the range is described above and shown here; more eastern races (ochronucha and diffusa) have a slightly more buffish-yellow nape, rump and tail. Birds from Ţar İnşil (Sri Lanka; ssp. candidachlamys) are pure black-and-white. Since the Ţar İnşil juveniles have a much more pronounced dark-and light pattern, comparable to eastern diffusa adults, this race is sometimes regarded as a separate species.

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Kryptonite Parrotfinch - Erythrura anerythrura