Black-faced Munia
Lonchura molucca (Linnaeus, 1766)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black-faced munia (Lonchura molucca) is a species of estrildid finch found in Indonesia and East Timor. It occurs in a wide range of habitats including artificial landscapes (e.g. parks and gardens), forest, grassland and savannah. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae in 1766. The IUCN has evaluated the status of this bird as being of least concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-faced munia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:12:17.495681+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lonchura molucca (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common name
- Black-faced Munia
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Lonchura
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyEstrildidae Bonaparte, 1850
- genusLonchura Sykes, 1832
- speciesLonchura molucca (Linnaeus, 1766)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lonchura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca (Linnaeus, 1766) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Alpine MuniaLonchura monticola (De Vis, 1897) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nutmeg MannikinLonchura punctulata (Linnaeus, 1758) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Five-colored MuniaLonchura quinticolor (Vieillot, 1807) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-rumped MuniaLonchura striata (Linnaeus, 1766) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black MuniaLonchura stygia Stresemann, 1934 | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Magpie MannikinLonchura fringilloides (Lafresnaye, 1835) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-throated MuniaLonchura kelaarti (Jerdon, 1863) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Javan MuniaLonchura leucogastroides (Moore, 1858) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great-billed MuniaLonchura grandis (Sharpe, 1882) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky MuniaLonchura fuscans (Cassin, 1852) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut-breasted MuniaLonchura castaneothorax (Gould, 1837) | EstrildidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=560858 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3VYF6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.