The white-spotted mannikin is a small passerine bird in the family Estrildidae. It is endemic to southern New Guinea.
Region
New Guinea
Typical Environment
Occurs in the southern New Guinea lowlands across Papua New Guinea and Indonesian Papua. It favors seasonally flooded savannas, tall grasslands, reedbeds along rivers and wetlands, and edges of swamps. The species also uses weedy fallows and the margins of cultivated fields where seeding grasses are abundant. It tends to remain close to cover and may shift locally with seeding cycles and water levels.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also known as the white-spotted munia, this estrildid finch is confined to the southern lowlands of New Guinea. It often moves about in small, tight flocks that keep low in tall grasses and reeds, making it easy to overlook. The species was formerly placed in the genus Lonchura. Its bold white spotting on otherwise brown plumage is distinctive among New Guinea finches.
Temperament
social and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually in small flocks that keep low in tall grasses and sedges. Nests are dome-shaped structures woven from grasses, placed in dense vegetation. Pairs are monogamous during the breeding season and may form small colonies where suitable cover is abundant.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Soft, high-pitched twitters and gentle trills used for contact within flocks. Males give a simple, tinkling song from concealed perches, often interspersed with call notes.
