CreatureData

Scaly-breasted munia

Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata) is a species in the family Estrildidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13.6 g to 15.3 g and live up to 10 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata)
Photo: Kmoorthy1969 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the scaly-breasted munia

Weight
13.6 g – 15.3 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
16 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
5.5 – 6.3src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the scaly-breasted munia live?

Not recorded

What is the scaly-breasted munia?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia (Lonchura punctulata), known in the pet trade as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch, is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus Lonchura, it was formally described and named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Its name is based on the distinct scale-like feather markings on the breast and belly. The adult is brown above and has a dark conical bill. The species has 11 subspecies across its range, which differ slightly in size and colour.

This munia eats mainly grass seeds apart from berries and small insects. They forage in flocks and communicate with soft calls and whistles. The species is highly social and may sometimes roost with other species of munias. This species is found in tropical plains and grasslands. Breeding pairs construct dome-shaped nests using grass or bamboo leaves.

The species is endemic to Asia and occurs from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and the Philippines (where it is called mayang pakíng). It has been introduced into many other parts of the world, and feral populations have established in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, as well as parts of Australia, and the United States of America, with sightings in California. The bird is listed as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

From the Wikipedia article “Scaly-breasted munia” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scaly-breasted_munia&oldid=1367060679), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the scaly-breasted munia endangered?

The scaly-breasted munia is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the scaly-breasted munia classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyEstrildidae
  6. genusLonchura
  7. SpeciesLonchura punctulata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Fringilla nisoria, Loxia punctatoria, Loxia punctulata

Other names and names in other languages (69)
  • Nutmeg mannikinEnglish
  • Nutmeg mannikinEnglish
  • Spice finchEnglish
  • Spice finchEnglish
  • Spotted muniaEnglish
  • Люспогърда амадинаBulgarian
  • তিলা মুনিয়াBangla
  • maniquí d'escatesCatalan
  • panenka muškátováCzech
  • manicin mannogWelsh
  • MuskatfinkeDanish
  • MuskatfinkGerman
  • Muskat-AmadineGerman
  • MuskatamadineGerman
  • MuskatbronzemännchenGerman
  • skvambrusta estrildoEsperanto
  • Capuchino NutmegSpanish
  • Capuchino Pecho EscamosoSpanish
  • Capuchino punteadoSpanish
  • Cigüita PechijabaoSpanish
  • Gorrión canelaSpanish
  • võrkamadiinEstonian
  • فنچ چاشنیPersian
  • suomumanikkiFinnish
  • Capucin damierFrench
  • Spermète d'épicesFrench
  • Mainicín noitmigeIrish
  • מוניה מפוספסת-חזהHebrew
  • ljuskastoprsa amadinaCroatian
  • muskátpintyHungarian
  • Pipit pekingIndonesian
  • Bondol pekingIndonesian
  • dominoItalian
  • Munia pettosquamatoItalian
  • シマキンパラJapanese
  • Emprit pekingJavanese
  • ಚುಕ್ಕೆ ರಾಟವಾಳKannada
  • 얼룩무늬납부리새Korean
  • dryžoji munijaLithuanian
  • garšvielu smailastīteLatvian
  • ചുട്ടിയാറ്റMalayalam
  • ചുട്ടീയാറ്റMalayalam
  • ठिपकेदार मुनियाMarathi
  • ठीपकेवाली मनोलीMarathi
  • Pipit pinangMalay
  • စာဝတီပြောက်ငှက်Burmese
  • MuskaatvinkDutch
  • muskatnonneNorwegian
  • mniszka muszkatowaPolish
  • capuchinho-dominóPortuguese
  • Чешуйчатая мунияRussian
  • Чешуйчатая амадинаRussian
  • Чешуйчатогрудая амадинаRussian
  • mníška muškátováSlovak
  • Muškat zebaSerbian
  • зачинска зебаSerbian
  • Piit pekingSundanese
  • Manut pekingSundanese
  • fjällig muniaSwedish
  • புள்ளி சில்லைTamil
  • புள்ளிச் சில்லைTamil
  • นกกระติ๊ดขี้หมูThai
  • Mayang PakingFilipino
  • Pullu MunyaTurkish
  • мунія іржастаUkrainian
  • Амадина іржастаUkrainian
  • 斑文鳥Chinese
  • 斑文鳥〔斑胸文鳥〕Chinese
  • 斑文鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the scaly-breasted munia

Other species in the same genus Lonchura.

LC, Least Concern
Dusky munia (Lonchura fuscans)

Dusky munia

Lonchura fuscans

Estrildidae

CompareScaly-breasted munia vs White-rumped muniaScaly-breasted munia vs Tricoloured muniaScaly-breasted munia vs Chestnut muniaScaly-breasted munia vs Chestnut-breasted mannikin

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the scaly-breasted munia?

An adult scaly-breasted munia weighs 13.6 g – 15.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the scaly-breasted munia endangered?

The scaly-breasted munia is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the scaly-breasted munia live?

The scaly-breasted munia has a recorded lifespan of 10 years.

What kind of animal is the scaly-breasted munia?

The scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata) belongs to the family Estrildidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/scaly-breasted-munia

MLA

“Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/scaly-breasted-munia.

BibTeX
@misc{scaly_breasted_munia_2026,
  title = {Scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/scaly-breasted-munia},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}