चलत मुसाफिर मोह लिया रे पिंजरे वाली मुनिया!
Chalat musufir moh liyare pinjare wali munia!
-Popular Indian folk song from the movie Teesri Kasam 1966
The Munias, Mannikins and Silverbills (Genus: Lonchura) are finches that occur in the open plains and grassland habitats of the Old World tropics. The name Munia is a term of endearment of a small girl/ bird in India.
India is home to eight species of Munia. The best time to witness these small birds is during the monsoons. One spell of rain and what was arid scrub is transformed into a carpet of lush green grass bringing along with it a variety of these seed eating birds which arrive in flocks, feasting on the seeds of the grass heads.
The scale like feather markings on its breast and belly gave it the appearance of a nutmeg-grater hence the names "Nutmeg mannikin" and "Spice finch" were used in pet trade since this was a very popular cage bird in the days gone by.
Scaly-breasted munia/
Nutmeg mannikin / Spice finch
(Lonchura punctulata)
Sony A77II
Tamron 150-600
f/6.3, 1/500s, ISO 800, 600 mm
Home,Kahun Road, Pune (India)
June 2020