Bronze Mannikin
Lonchura cucullata
Grass and scrub. Only head and breast black; underparts white; dull brown above.
Finches, Mannikins, Twinspots, Waxbills
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Very common resident. Adult differs from [Black-and-white (Red-backed) Mannikin] in earth-brown upper-parts grading to blackish over the head, face, throat and upper breast. All blackish areas washed with bottle-green or bronze, with some bottle-green feathers present on the mantle. The bill has dark upper mandible. Flanks finely barred. Immature as illustrated; upper parts less rufous than immature of [Black-and-white (Red-backed) Mannikin]; bill all-dark. Call is a wheezy ‘chik, chik, chikka’. Found in a wide variety of mixed grass and bushveld, forest fringes, coastal scrub and old cultivated lands. A very small, highly gregarious bird. Feeds in flocks, clambering about grass stems to obtain the seeds. When flushed, all fly into a bush, eventually returning to feed in ones and twos.
Quick Facts
Size
9 cm - S
Names
A: Gewone Fret
Z: amadojeyanajwayelekile
G: Kleinelsterchen
Bird Family
Small, conical-billed, ground- or grass-feeding seed-eaters, although some will also eat insects. They usually have colourful plumage, although females are usually more drab than males. They generally occur in pairs, or are gregarious when not breeding.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of mixed grass and bushveld, 'forest' fringes, coastal scrub and old cultivated lands.
