The Tri-coloured Munia - Lonchura malacca malacca

The Tri-coloured Munia, more commonly known in Australian aviculture as the Tri-coloured Nun, originates in southern India and Sri Lanka where it broadly occupies grassy habitat especially where grasses grow tall, dense and produce abundant seed heads.  Within its natural range its status is regarded as locally common over a very widespread range.  Although the species is vulnerable to habitat loss as a result of marsh drainage, this and the effects of the bird trade have not caused a serious threat to its wild status, so it remains secure in the wild for the time being at least. 

Of the three established Asian Munia (Nun) species in Australian aviaries, the Tri-coloured is arguably the most attractive.  As with most Munias, their physical appeal depends entirely upon stark contrasts and the Tri-coloured displays these contrasts far better than most.  For a bird which is restricted in colour to just black, brown and white its clearly delineated head, back, chest and belly areas are highlighted to maximum visual effect often catching the attention of the observer far more powerfully than much more colourful finch species.  For a mixed finch collection aimed at the optimum visual appeal, such species of contrast are very useful to highlight both themselves and the other more colourful species with which they share their aviary.

The other two Asian Nuns, Black-headed (Lonchura malacca atricapilla) and White-headed (Lonchura maja), are their closest relatives in captivity in Australia, especially the Black-headed.  Conventional taxonomy places the Tri-coloured as the nominate form of the wider Chestnut Munia group to which the Black-headed and its ten sub-species also belong.  Robin Restall, in his excellent book “Munias and Mannikins”, 1996 puts a very compelling case why the Tri-coloured and Black-headed should be treated as separate species. He argues this on the basis of geographical separation of wild ranges, differences in palate markings of nestlings and clear sexual preference for their own kind and lack of hybrid offspring where a mixed feral population of Tri-coloured and natural population of Black-headed co-exist in Hong Kong. 

Within the confines of an aviary, however, all three forms will readily interbreed given an opportunity as they will with most other exotic and native Lonchura species.  The prospect of this occurring is added to by the difficulty in visually sexing these species, adding to the likelihood of two males of one type being housed with two females of another type whilst the aviculturist is hoping he/she has a pair of each.  The easiest way to ensure that this does not occur is to only have one species from the genus in each separate breeding aviary.  In recent years the crossing of Tri-coloured and Black-headed birds has particularly tainted the purity of current Black-headed stocks as evidenced by the now more common dark black belly area on many Black-headed specimens.  In previous decades this feature used to be only obviously evident in a small proportion of Black-headed males.  Tri-coloured captive stocks, although periodically allowed to slip to lower numbers, still maintain good purity largely as a result of their white frontal areas making any hybrid traits of brown feathers in the white zone easily identified at a glance and hence easily culled from a pure breeding population.

Apart from the most common form of the Tri-coloured Nun, Restall has additionally described and illustrated four naturally occurring colour morphs of the species.  All of these are characterised by different shades, scallops, fine bars or irregular darker intrusions into the white frontal areas.   Each of these occurs in an extremely small proportion of the overall population and most are highly localised variants.   The existence of these forms should in no way be used as an excuse in Australian stocks to retain birds with anything other than an unambiguously clean and well-defined white area as anything other than this in our stocks can reliably be taken to be evidence of hybrid genes.

All of the Nuns are monomorphic which can pose a great challenge in attempting to visually determine the sexes.  Even with  mature birds in adult plumage, many finch breeders have great difficulty in detecting very minor physical differences between individuals.  It can be very difficult to have confidence in visually sexing monomorphic species, especially where we may not have a group of birds with which to compare certain parts of their anatomy.  There are a number of areas of slight physical difference between the sexes in Tri-coloured Nuns.  I have found the most reliable indicator of sex on the plumage of fully coloured specimens to be the top of tail.  Hens have a paler, more straw-coloured central few feathers along the top of the tail compared to males who have a darker more reddish-brown colour here.  The adjoining sides of the upper-tail coverts are also noticeably darker reddish-brown on males compared to females.  There again this method initially depends on having a sufficient number of birds for a comparison and only after frequent familiarisation with this method can we have confidence in examining a single bird and making an accurate visual sexing decision.  Of course these days we have DNA feather sexing to take away any uncertainty for a nominal price.  Mature birds have a different pitch to their call.  Male’s have a higher pitched single syllable call compared to the female’s.  This is very obvious when a pair call back and forth to each other.

Other areas of slight physical difference between sexes are width and depth of the bill which is usually broader and deeper on males, males tend to have slightly larger overall body size and have a slightly more robust head.  This is most easily compared by looking down at the top of the head of a hand-held bird, in which males generally appear wider on the crown between the eyes.  Obviously with uncoloured juveniles you only have the differences in physical proportions to go by.  These differences become more obvious as the birds mature so DNA sexing is most useful at this time.  When birds are of low monetary value the cost of DNA sexing becomes a higher proportion of the birds’ value and may be unviable for some people to consider.   

This leads us to the undeniable fact that juveniles can seem to take an eternity to reach adult plumage.  Young birds bred in warmer weather come through the moult much quicker (4-5 months) than those bred in cooler months (up to 8-10 months).  As uncoloured youngsters they can be quite difficult to distinguish from the other young Munias.  Young White-headed Nuns have a pale fawnish head & face which distinguishes them from Tri-coloured and Black-headed juveniles.  These both have a dark sooty wash over most of the face and head.  Distinguishing between young of these latter two is the most challenging.  The main distinctive differences between their uncoloured young is that young Tri-coloured have a much paler creamy colour on the lower chest and belly whereas young Black-headeds are a darker and more brownish colour there.  Chestnut-breasted Munias, L.castaneothorax, would also pose some confusion at the juvenile plumage stage, however they very much resemble the belly colour of Black-headed rather than Tri-coloured juveniles.  Don’t ask me to distinguish between young Chestnuts and Black-headeds or I’ll just decline on the basis of that’s not relevant to an article on Tri-coloureds (OK, young Chestnuts are a slightly greyer shade of brown on the back – there you go).

The time taken to attain adult plumage often dictates that it is necessary when sourcing stock to buy uncoloured young birds and wait for them to mature.  It should be stressed that such uncoloured or partly coloured young birds should only be obtained from breeders who you can confidently trust to supply pure Tri-coloured Nuns.  To consider purchasing sub-adult birds from a pet shop or another dubious source where their origins or purity is questionable is asking for trouble in the form of a higher probability of unwittingly obtaining hybrid stock.  From such sources obtaining mature birds is the only way to be sure of pure Tri-coloureds, however the age of the birds then comes into question.

Given their wild habitat needs a well-planted aviary is greatly appreciated, especially if it contains tall clumps of perennial seeding grasses which they will spend a great deal of time foraging in.  Most of the Munias including the Tri-coloured Nun are highly adept at climbing in and around vertical grass stems and simply look their best in a grassy environment.  Their proportionately large legs and feet are a physiological indicator that they have evolved to suit a grassy habitat.  A planted aviary is certainly not a requirement for success with this species in aviculture but it provides the ideal environmental enrichment for any Munia.  If for any extended period they are housed in a barren aviary devoid of vegetation they are very prone to overgrown toenails which may need to be periodically clipped.  The continual natural activity of climbing in and around grasses and other vegetation usually maintains their feet and toes in excellent condition without the need for clipping. 

Whilst they very much enjoy a planted aviary, the larger Munias are quite hard on most aviary plants and will continually pick and tear at any fresh green shoots, buds or seed heads.  Unless the aviary is quite large with extensive greenery their constant attention does take its toll on the health and vigour of aviary plants.  This places an onus of responsibility on the aviculturist to not allow bird numbers in any planted aviary to keep escalating otherwise your planted aviary is going to gradually transform into a tattered and barren wasteland for plants.  Tri-coloured Nuns are a highly social species and will feed, breed and socialise as a flock of several or more pairs.  However, for optimum breeding results per pair and for environmental preservation of a planted aviary, a single pair of Nuns in a mixed collection of other compatible finch species is the recommended way to house them.  If independent young birds are not regularly removed from the breeding aviary this will have a negative impact on aviary plants and on breeding outcomes for later rounds due to increased and unnecessary competition in the breeding aviary.  I would only consider housing a colony of multiple pairs of Tri-coloured Nuns into an unplanted aviary or a very large and heavily planted aviary.  Even then, less breeding pairs rather than more would be more productive and have more chance of preserving an aesthetically pleasing planted aviary habitat.

This propensity to devour all things green leads us to the Nun diet.  Not surprisingly these Munias are avid green food eaters of the highest order, so the main emphasis in breeding foods should concentrate on providing a dependable supply of an interesting range of fresh green food items.  Within reason you can do no wrong here, but particular favourites are grass seed heads of almost any type(s), half-ripe and/or sprouted millets and any leafy green vegetables.  For basic sustenance the typical dry finch seed mixes comprising the different millets and canary seed are standard fare.  If mixing your own dry seed mixes Nuns tend to prefer more of the larger millets particularly white-french millet compared to many of the smaller finches and waxbills, however they will greatly benefit from a highly varied range of dry seeds.  Fine shell grit and cuttlebone are their favoured grit and mineral sources.  During the breeding season they will show increased eagerness for half-ripe grass seed heads and other green foods as well as taking live food if offered whilst they are feeding young.  Live food is not absolutely essential to achieve breeding success, however larger clutches and far more regular output of young can reasonably be expected if you can provide a dependable regular supply of live insects during the rearing period.  They will readily take termites, maggots or mealworms whilst rearing young and show very little if any interest in such foods when they don’t have dependent young.

Current captive stocks in Australian aviaries have been somewhat domesticated over a period of many decades and as a result have largely lost any seasonality to their breeding drive.  Most pairs can be stimulated to breed at any time of year in most climatic zones with an expanded range of breeding foods, particularly greens and to a lesser extent live insects.

Nesting usually takes place in vegetation.  Either dry bunches of brush attached to the walls of the aviary, dog mesh wire cylinders loosely filled with brush, bracken fern or coarse grasses, growing shrubs or grasses are their preferred sites.  They will rarely use other artificial nest receptacles unless their vegetative options are inadequate.  All nests in my aviaries have been located in either growing grass tussocks or in bunches of small-leaved native tea-tree I attach to the walls in the back of my breeding aviaries.   Densely branched native shrubs including some species of leptospermum, melaleuca and callistemon tend to retain their leaves reasonably well once they have been cut which contributes to their usefulness as dry brush nest sites.  Obviously in the growing grasses nests are located quite low, but where they have choice of nesting heights in dry brush mine tend to nest in the top half of the aviary.

Tri-coloured Nuns can be particularly prolific breeders.  Healthy unrelated pairs which are well catered for are capable of consistently rearing multiple clutches of four to six young at a time.  Nest building is carried out mostly by the male and they will build a fairly robust structure of mostly coarser grasses for the outer shell with the inner chamber lined with finer grasses.  The relatively large and resilient nest structure is a direct consequence of the species originating from high rainfall areas which experience frequent monsoonal storms.  When nests are constructed in growing grasses the stems and leaf blades of the grass plant are skilfully and sturdily incorporated into the nest structure.

The plain white eggs are incubated by both sexes alternately for 13 days and hatchlings remain in the nest for a further three weeks.  During the nest-bound rearing period young Munias grow and develop rapidly so the parents’ eagerness at this time for greater quantities of breeding foods, especially greens and live insects is what’s required to fuel this rapid growth of young.  Young fledge with dark bills and fairly drab brownish plumage.  For the first week or so after fledging, the parents will encourage them back into the nest by late afternoon to camp for the night.  They are usually independent after three weeks from fledging.  Their bill gradually transforms to the same clean silver-grey colour of the adults’ a few weeks after independence.  Just to make sure that young are undoubtedly independent and that they have a bit more of a head start toward the moult I prefer to only remove them from the breeding aviary once they have this clean pale bill colour.   I find that with Munias (and most other finch species) if young are removed to a holding aviary when they have only just a day or two earlier reached independence, this is too early.  The stress of weaning combined with the new stress of being removed from the only enclosure they have ever known (the breeding aviary) and being placed onto, most likely, a more austere diet in a holding aviary all combine to set the young bird back developmentally.  Hence, such young which have been weaned early take much longer to mature into adult plumage and I believe such birds often never achieve the physical vigour which they would have had they been allowed to finish off just a few weeks longer in the breeding aviary.

Slower maturing finch species generally tend to be comparatively long-lived and this certainly the case for Tri-coloured Munias which tend to live longer than most estrildid finch species.  Healthy Tri-coloured Munia pairs which are regularly spelled from breeding for at least a couple of months per year can remain productive breeders for up to six years.  With regular worming and treatment for coccidia following any prolonged spells of wet weather Nuns are very hardy aviary species indeed.

Some of the natural attributes of the Tri-coloured Munia are often regarded by many aviculturists as reasons to not keep and breed them, however these can all be thoughtfully managed to minimise any possible downside outcomes.  Difficulty visually sexing them is completely overcome with recent DNA feather sexing technology allowing simple and non-invasive sexing of your birds.  Length of time to attain adult colour is best managed by ensuring appropriate holding aviary space and by concentrating on breeding mainly in the warmer months when they colour quicker.  Their tendency to damage foliage in planted aviaries is best controlled by light stocking rates, ideally only one pair of Munias per breeding aviary and regular removal of independent young.  These are all sound general finch breeding principles anyway which are likely to contribute overall to regular successful breeding outcomes.  When Tri-coloured Munias are managed in this manner they are an absolute pleasure to keep and breed.  Their captive status does tend to wax and wane similar to most other Munias and Mannikins, however they are very much worthy of our efforts to keep them securely established into the future.