From Brood to Born Free

A brood of Pipit Rawa (Chestnut Munia)

I have been observing a brood of Pipit Rawa (Chestnut Munia) at Zone G.  After freeing them from its nest two weeks ago, I had on many occasions seen them flying about the park in a small flock.
I am happy that the ecology of the park has managed to sustain its population. Pipit is a common word used by the Malays to name birds that are commonly known as munias, sparrows and of course the pipit itself (e.g the paddy field pipit).  Here the presence of wetlands and large areas of tall grasses provide the chief food in form of grass seeds to the pipit birds.

Juvenile Pipit Rawa ready to fly off.

Adult Pipit Rawa or Chestnut Munia

Little brown black darling

Chestnut Munia or "Pipit Rawa" - Malay
Zone C

 She comes to town in chocolaty dress with a dark face, like she is wearing a black 'hijab'.  Often she is seen in a small party foraging for seeds especially grass seeds. She and friends would cling to the long grasses and normally inch towards the end of the grass stems to get close to the seeds.  In so doing they gently bend the grass stems and skid towards the end of the stems  in playful acrobatic style.   Her skinny feet and steady legs are grey. What is striking about her when compared to her cousins is her silvery grey beak.  Today she is busy collecting all sorts of dried grasses and other plant materials to make a nest.  The nest called home is deep in the middle of the bamboo clump.

Having an interlude in between nest making at the bamboo clump

Birdwatch album - Pipit

Brown Pipit

 The Pipits are an everyday visitor to the park and some bild nests here..  They look for insects and grass seeds.  They come in pairs or in small groups.  To encourage them to come often  reserves of grassland are kept to help out with their daily diet of grass seeds.  They are two species found here viz the Pipit Rawa (Lonchura malacca) and another which has brown feathers all over the body.

Pipit Rawa (Lonchura malacca)

Pipit Rawa (Lonchura malacca)