Indian Silverbill

The Indian silverbill, or white-throated munia, is a small finch 11–11.5cm long with a conical silver-grey bill, buff-brown upperparts, white underparts and buffy flanks. Its dark wings and pointed black tail contrast with a white rump. The sexes look alike, and immatures have buff underparts and a shorter tail. It was formerly placed in Lonchura and once included the African silverbill (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a common resident of the drier parts of the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, foraging in small flocks in dry open scrub, fallow land and cultivation, sometimes near water. It feeds mainly on seeds but also takes insects and visits nectar-bearing flowers such as coral trees. It is largely sedentary, though some populations move seasonally, and it has been introduced to and become established in several other parts of the world. In India it is resident across a very large range; SoIB 2023 finds its long-term trend stable and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).