The September 7 post ABA Adds Nutmeg Mannikin, #981 by the ABA blogger Bill Pranty, announced the acceptance of species #981, the Nutmeg Mannikin, to the list of ABA countable species.  According to the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) the Nutmeg Mannikin is an established species in certain regions of California which, in the end, was good enough for ABA acceptance.  It can now be counted but only in those regions.

When we lived in Southern California we knew of this bird’s existence through the short entry on a page of exotic finches near the back of our first edition copy of The Sibley Guide to Birds published in 2000.  We never actually saw one of these while we lived there (we left in 2005) but we did eventually see one on a vacation to the island of Kaua’I in 2012.  They have been long established on the Hawaiian Islands having been introduced in 1866 [Ref 2] and are on the AOU checklist which includes Hawai’i.  Even though most of the rest of the world recognizes this species by the name Scaly-breasted Munia, the ABA has the tradition of using the AOU name first if available.  Bill Pranty in his post hints that an AOU name change could eventually result in a change to the more widespread name that is also the name recognized by the International Ornithologists’ Union [Ref 4].

I tried to find out where the alternate name of Nutmeg Mannikin came from but have so far been unsuccessful.  All I have been able to discover is that in the pet trade the more common names are Nutmeg Mannikin or Spice Finch. If anyone knows the answer I would love to find out.

If you want more information on the Nutmeg Mannikin, take a look at Bill Pranty’s blog article.  It has lots more information and useful links.  I now have one more bird to look for on my next visit to Southern California.

References and Other Links

[1] ABA Adds Nutmeg Mannikin, #981; 2013-09-07 ABA blog posting by Bill Pranty.

[2] Monograph: Nutmeg Mannikin, from the Bishop Museum (http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org).

[3] Houston Audubon Birding: Nutmeg Mannikin (Lonchura punctulata).  This link has an identification chart showing a juvenile mannikin photographed weekly until it reached adult plumage.  I wish that I could have such a chart for all birds in my area.

[4] International Ornithologists’ Union: World Bird List.

[5] Wikipedia: Scaly-breasted Munia.