Aussie Finch Forum

hi all,
I see adds popping up all over the place for the usual white headed nuns. and the suddenly some come along with "white bellied munia", "white rumped munia" and "white beaked munia" what are these?????

White-bellied Munia, L leucogastra was an early confusion species with the Javan Munia, L leucogastroides. When Javan Munias first "popped up" people didn't know what they had & they were incorrectly called white-bellied munia for many years & some still call them that. The proper white-bellied Munia is nowhere near as black in the face and throat as the javan, has a pale yellowish/straw coloured tail & much smaller area of white on the belly. There are a few different subspecies of the white-bellied, some of which have reddish brown areas on the back and flanks. I don't know of any true white-bellied munias having ever been kept in Australia.
White-rumped munia, L.striata is a diverse species including numerous varied subspecies. This is the likely original genetic source of the Bengalese & most forms closely resemble a self chocolate bengalese. The nominate subspecies also resembles the javan munia plumage apart from its conpicuous white rump & larger size.
I don't know of a white-beaked munia perhaps this is confusion with white-backed munia which is just another name for white-rumped.

thanks Tiaris... yeah it's a bit odd