Lonchura castaneothorax
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The chestnut-breasted mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax), also known as the chestnut-breasted munia or bully bird (in Australia), is a small brown-backed munia with a black face and greyish crown and nape. It has a broad ferruginous breast bar above a white belly. The species' natural range includes Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It has also been introduced to French Polynesia and New Caledonia.
The chestnut-breasted mannikin has a total of six subspecies and seven forms. Not recognized as a valid subspecies by some authorities. Identification: Richer breast and cream ground color to belly and flanks. Identification: Distinctive black head with faint scalloping. Female is more noticeable than the male.
Identification: Brown scallops on the flanks and paler to straw on the upper tail-coverts. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Australia Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Territory Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-breasted Munia sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 308 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 208 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-breasted Munia in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and June, the lowest months. Those are among Daintree National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 380 mm in January.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut-breasted Munia sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Chestnut-breasted Munia sightings, Daintree National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Kakadu National Park (Australia, under 5%) and Lamington National Park (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chestnut-breasted Munia is recorded against all the birds logged in Daintree National Park (308 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
