Lonchura molucca
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the black-faced munia in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected from the Maluku Islands. He used the French name Le gros-bec de Moluques and the Latin Coccothraustes Moluccensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the black-faced munia. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Loxia molucca and cited Brisson's work. The specific... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Munia sighting in Tangkoko Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 96th most-seen of the 138 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-faced Munia in Tangkoko Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January to September, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-faced Munia sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black-faced Munia sightings, Tangkoko Nature Reserve has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Komodo National Park (Indonesia, under 5%).
Same genus: Lonchura
The closest relatives of the Black-faced Munia that you can see in Tangkoko Nature Reserve (genus Lonchura, Typical Munias and Mannikins) are Chestnut Munia (about 20%) and Nutmeg Mannikin (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-faced Munia is recorded against all the birds logged in Tangkoko Nature Reserve (30 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.
