About Lonchura kelaarti (Jerdon, 1863)
The black-throated munia, scientifically named Lonchura kelaarti (Jerdon, 1863), measures 12 cm in length and has a long black tail. For the subspecies found in southwestern India, L. k. jerdoni, adult individuals have a stubby grey bill, dark brown upperparts with pale shaft streaks, a blackish face and bib, and pinkish brown underparts with scaly markings near the vent. The vernayi subspecies from the Eastern Ghats has paler pinkish underparts. The nominate subspecies L. k. kelaarti native to Sri Lanka has scaly patterning across its underparts and vent, with pale, almost whitish shaft streaks that contrast against its darker back. All populations have similar appearance between males and females, but immature birds lack the darker face pattern and have more uniformly colored underparts. The black-throated munia is a small, gregarious bird that feeds mainly on seeds. It typically inhabits open hill woodland and cultivated areas. It builds its nest as a large domed structure made of grass, placed in a tree or in creepers growing on a house. In India, females lay 3 to 8 white eggs per clutch, while clutches in Sri Lanka usually contain five eggs.
