Java Sparrow
Padda oryzivora
A small, plump finch with a very thick pink bill. The black head and white cheek patch are distinctive. Juveniles have a similar color pattern but are grayer. Social; forages in flocks and roosts communally. Forages in rice fields, grasslands, meadows, and urban and suburban areas (in introduced range). Call consists of one or more musical chirps. Native to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, where now quite rare. Introduced widely across the globe including India, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands.
Identification
The Java sparrow is about 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) in length from the beak to its tip of tail feathers. Although only about the size of a house sparrow, it may be the largest species in the estrildid family. The mean body mass is 24.5 g (0.86 oz), making it slightly heavier than its nearest known rival, the black-bellied seedeater. The adult is unmistakable, with its grey upperparts and breast, pink belly, white-cheeked black head, red eye-ring, pink feet and thick red bill.<p>Both sexes are similar. Immature birds have brown upperparts and pale brown underparts, and a plain head. Very young birds have a black beak with a pink base.<p>The call is a chip, and the song is a rapid series of call notes chipchipchipchipchipchip.
Taxonomy
The Java sparrow was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia oryzivora. The specific epithet combines Latin oryza meaning "rice" with -vorus meaning "eating". Linnaeus based his description on the "Padda or Rice-bird" that had been described and illustrated in 1743 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Edwards believed that his specimens had come from China but mentions the common name "Java sparrow". The species was reclassified to the genus Lonchura in 2020.
- Scientific name
- Padda oryzivora
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Padda
Range and habitat
The Java sparrow is a very gregarious bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It frequents open grassland and cultivation, and was formerly a pest in rice fields, hence its scientific name. The nest is constructed in a tree or building, and up to eight eggs are laid.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Bundok Flycatcher
Ficedula luzoniensis
A small bird of montane forest undergrowth, where it perches motionless for long periods. Sooty-gray above with white under the base of the tail and on the belly blending to an orange chest and throat, slightly paler on the chin. Most races have a short, thin white eyebrow. Similar to Mugimaki Flycatcher, but has pinkish rather than black legs and lacks any white marks in the wing. Song is a simple, very high-pitched whistled melody.
Common Paradise-Kingfisher
Tanysiptera galatea
A long-tailed kingfisher of lowland forests. White underparts and rump, dark blue upperparts with pale blue shoulder and crown. Long white tail with 2 extended central tail feathers ending in spatula tips. Sits still for long periods whilst slowly pumping its tail. Very similar to Little Paradise-Kingfisher, but Common Paradise-Kingfisher is larger, with a paler crown, white rather than blue outer tail feathers and a heavier bill. The safest way to separate, however is by vocalization. Heard more often than seen. Song, a rapidly accelerating and slightly rising series of dry notes.
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropus
Elegant wader with a long fine bill and long reddish legs (dark on breeding adults). Striking breeding plumage dark overall. Nonbreeding plumage is paler and grayer than smaller and chunkier Common Redshank. In flight often appears dark overall with narrow white oval up middle of back. Breeds in arctic bogs and swamps; migrants occur in varied wetland habitats. Usually seen as singles or small groups, though will sometimes congregate in large flocks, especially on wintering grounds. Feeds mainly by wading in fairly deep water, probing and picking with its bill, at times swimming.
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