Description
The Scaly-breasted Munia is 11–12 cm long and 12-16 g heavy. The adult has a stubby dark bill, brown upperparts and a dark brown head. The underparts are white with black scale markings. The sexes are similar, although males have darker markings on the underside and a darker throat than females. Immature birds have pale brown upperparts, lack the dark head found in adults, and have uniform buff underparts that can be confused with immatures of other munias such as the Tricoloured Munia.
Populations within their wide distribution range show variations in plumage colour and size, and about 11 subspecies are recognized. These include the nominate form found in the plains of South Asia, including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The name lineoventer was formerly used for the Indian population. Other populations include subundulata from the eastern Himalayas, yunnanensis of southern China, topela of Thailand, cabanisi of the Philippines and fretensis of Singapor and Sumatra. Island populations include nisoria (Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa), particeps (Sulawesi), baweana (Bawean Island), sumbae (Sumba) and blasii (Flores, Timor and Tanimbar).
Along with other Estrildines, these species are thought to have originated in Asia.
Read more about this topic: Scaly-breasted Munia
Famous quotes containing the word description:
“God damnit, why must all those journalists be such sticklers for detail? Why, they’d hold you to an accurate description of the first time you ever made love, expecting you to remember the color of the room and the shape of the windows.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
“A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this World: he that has these two, has little more to wish for; and he that wants either of them, will be little the better for anything else.”
—John Locke (1632–1704)
“An intentional object is given by a word or a phrase which gives a description under which.”
—Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (b. 1919)