IDENTIFICATION

VOCALISATIONS

Usual calls are typically munia-like, though some are higher in pitch and clearer than those of Scaly-breasted Munia.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE

Occurs in low-lying open country areas, and in recent years especially Long Valley, where the resumption of rice cultivation ensures that there is an abundance of rice and other seeds, and in the reeds in Mai Po NR.

OCCURRENCE

Chestnut Munia was first recorded in Hong Kong in 1940, when small flocks were observed in April and May at Hong Kong Observatory, Kowloon and at Pok Fu Lam (Herklots 1941). In view of the urban locations of these records, it seems likely that these were ex-captive, but this does not appear to have been considered at the time.

There were no further records until the 1950s when Dove and Goodhart (1955) reported sightings at Mai Po on 14 December 1952 and on HK Island and at Sha Tin in April 1953, though they considered that some, if not all of these, were possibly ex-captive. Walker (1958) stated that up to 16 birds were present throughout the year at Mai Po. He also reported about 30 at Yuen Long on one date in May and noted possible breeding. Subsequently, almost all records were from Mai Po or elsewhere around Deep Bay, with peak occurrences in late summer and early autumn. The largest numbers recorded were such flocks at Mai Po: 50 on 15 November 1959, 60 on 20 September 1961 and 60 on 12 August 1971. Most records subsequently were from Mai Po though the numbers recorded gradually declined to the end of the century.

Until 2016 there were only four records this century, all single birds at Mai Po NR, Lam Tsuen and Sai Kung. Beginning March 2020, however, there were records from widespread areas of the territory, but particularly where there was an abundance of rice at Long Valley, where up to 31 birds were seen from August to the end of the year. Up to 25 birds were also seen in the reeds at Mai Po from late August to mid-October. Elsewhere, it was recorded at Hung Hom ferry pier, Kai Tak Runway Park, Lamma, Tai O, Shui Hau and Yi O on Lantau, Lam Tsuen, Sai Kung and San Tin. At Long Valley it was seen in the company of a large flock of the exotic White-headed Munia Lonchura maja.

Peaks in spring and autumn were considered as evidence that this species was in some way a regular migrant through HK, but in retrospect this seems unlikely. There is no evidence of migration elsewhere in this species’ range (Payne 2020), nor has it been found in southeast China away from the Pearl River delta. Thus, any movements are likely to be strictly local, perhaps involving birds moving between the south side of Deep Bay and rice-growing areas in southern Guangdong. Indeed, the decline in numbers in the past 30-40 years is likely a reflection of the loss of rice paddy throughout the Pearl River area.

BREEDING

Nest-building was frequently observed, and the early autumn flocks formerly recorded often contained more than 50% juvenile birds. Breeding even occurred successfully at Tramway Path, Central in 1981 but neither at this nor at any other locations away from the northern New Territories have birds been present for more than a few months.

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET

Flocks have been recorded feeding on grass seeds, especially Barnyard Millet Echinochloa crus-galli (Wong 1996). This is a fodder grass often found in swampy ground that formerly occurred as a weed in rice crops (Griffiths 1983). Also recorded foraging in Phragmites reeds. However, as discussed above, most recent records have been of flocks feeding in rice fields at Long Valley, where both unripe and ripe seeds are eaten on the standing rice and, albeit to a lesser extent, fallen seeds are taken on the ground after the crop has been harvested.

RANGE & SYSTEMATICS

The range extends from northern India eastwards throughout southeast Asia including the Philippines, to Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan (Payne 2020). IOC considers there to be seven subspecies, with those occurring in China being nominate L. a. atricapilla in the southwest, L. a. formosana in Taiwan and L. a. deignani in the southeast. Cheng (1987) stated that L. a. atricapilla occurred in southwest Yunnan, Guangdong and, possibly, Hainan, and L. a. formosana occurred in Taiwan. Birds in HK have not been critically examined but appear to show morphological characters of atricapilla and/or deignani.

However, the evidence for its natural occurrence in mainland China away from Yunnan is slender. Cheng (1987) documented one doubtful record from Hainan, none from Guangxi and showed the Guangdong distribution as being limited to the Pearl River delta region (probably based on HK records). Swinhoe (1861) recorded this species in the region only as a cage bird, though, interestingly, he observed flocks of the Tricolored Munia L. malacca at Macau and near Guangzhou. Kershaw (1904) noted that this species was ‘not common’ in the Pearl River delta, and it was not mentioned at all by Vaughan and Jones (1913). La Touche (1925-30) listed this species from Guangdong based on Kershaw’s reference and a single specimen collected by Mell, but otherwise knew it only from Yunnan. Furthermore, the only field records in eBird are from around the Pearl River delta and in western Yunnan and, apparently, there are no published observations in the Chinese literature. Thus, it seems almost certain that all records in the delta region are derived from captive specimens and, accordingly, this species was placed in Category IIC as there was ample evidence of successful breeding. However, whilst breeding was (and still is) not unusual, for reasons that are so far unknown there is no evidence to suggest that a self-supporting population now exists. Currently, therefore, this species is retained in Category IIC on the basis that a significant self-supporting population apparently existed for many years.

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Least Concern. Population trend stable.