Pale-headed Munia
Lonchura pallida (Wallace, 1864)
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 pale-headed munia (Lonchura pallida) is a species of estrildid finch native to eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste. It inhabits subtropical and tropical lowlands, dry shrubland, grassland, marshes and agricultural areas. The species has shown recent range expansion due to increasing agriculture and land clearance. It has recently crossed the Wallace Line to establish breeding populations on Nusa Penida, and is now recorded on Bali. It has also become an increasingly frequent vagrant in northwestern Australia from the 2020s onward, with arrivals likely aided by monsoon winds and cyclones.
Wikipedia contributors, Pale-headed munia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:35:45.581908+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lonchura pallida (Wallace, 1864)
- Name authority
- (Wallace, 1864)
- Common name
- Pale-headed 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 pallida (Wallace, 1864)
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 |
| Black-faced MuniaLonchura molucca (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 |
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=560864 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:3VYFD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.