Bird Watch: Tricoloured munia, a common bird in floodplains of Indian subcontinent

Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus was the first to formally describe this bird in 1766. Linnaeus mistakenly specified the locality as China, Java and Malacca, only to be corrected by another naturalist EC Stuart Baker in 1926. Baker had identified the locality as Belgaum in Karnataka in southwest India.

Both females and males take part in building the nest. The nest is overall loosely-built and oval in shape with one entrance. Compared to other Munia species (scaly-breasted munia, red avadavat), the nest is large even for the size of the female and male. Some grass blades and stems stick out of the entrance creating a sort of porch. Most nests are built away from human habitation on reeds and or grass swamps, about three feet over water.

The clutch usually consists of four or five eggs but in India, it is usual to have seven eggs. The eggs are oval in shape and white in colour and the average size is 16.3 x 11.5mm. The incubation period for the eggs is about 12 to 13 days. Both males and females take part in incubation and take turns incubating, and at night, both birds are in the nest. The offspring are brooded for about eight to 10 days and develop feathers in about three weeks.