Fun Bronze Mannikin Facts For Kids

The bronze mannikin (Spermestes cucullata) is from the family Estrildidae and the geographic range of this bird consists of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Bioko, and the Comoro Islands. These birds have also been introduced in Puerto Rico. The types of habitat that these species prefer include grassy and bushy regions, forests, thickets, savannas, and also near cultivated lands.

The chicks and adults of this species have different appearances. The adult bird has a black tail and the tail is known to be short and their upper parts are known to be brownish-gray and the underparts are white in color with a brownish-gray head, whereas, juveniles have dun brown upperparts and their head and underparts are buff-colored.

There are slight differences in rump and flanks, too.

The diet is omnivorous and the food of this bird includes seeds like grain, rice, and millets, and the adult of these birds are preyed upon by common fiscal, fork-tailed drongo, and little sparrowhawk, whereas, the eggs and juveniles are preyed upon by cats, mice, kingfisher, pied crow, and African goshawk.

It is very fascinating to learn about this bird species, bronze mannikin (Spermestes cucullata), and if you are interested, read about chestnut-sided warbler and cape may warbler, too.

Bronze Mannikin Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a bronze mannikin?

The bronze mannikin is a type of bird. The temperament of these birds is known to be aggressive, especially during the breeding season, and tend to possess strong personalities, and are quite active.

What class of animal does a bronze mannikin belong to?

It is placed under the class of Aves of birds.

How many bronze mannikins are there in the world?

There is no estimation of the global population of this bird available.

Where does a bronze mannikin live?

This bird is known to be endemic to Africa mainland. The range of this bird also includes Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Bioko, and the Comoro Islands range. This bird has also been introduced to Puerto Rico. These birds are considered to be non-migratory.

What is a bronze manakin's habitat?

The habitat preferably inhabited by these birds includes grassy areas, scattered bushy areas, trees, thickets, evergreen forests, savannas and can also be found near areas with cultivated lands.

Who does bronze mannikin live with?

These birds can be spotted in flocks with flock sizes generally being 8-20.

How long does a bronze mannikin live?

It is believed that the longevity recorded was around 28 months and adult further life expectancy is around 12.5 months.

How do they reproduce?

Before breeding, the females tend to collect materials for the nest, then the males gather all the materials together to build the nest. The nest is known to be shaped like a ball.

The materials used for building the nest include pine needles, green grass, and also asparagus stems. The nest is placed in a bush or tree generally.

The nesting can also be done in a man-made structure. The eggs are laid between August and May and the peak season is November to April and the breeding season is around the same time. Around four to eight white eggs are laid and incubation takes place for about 12-16 days.

Both the parents are known to feed the chicks mostly soft seeds. Chicks leave the nest in about 15-21 days and almost after four weeks become independent.

What is their conservation status?

These birds are placed under the Least Concern category of conservation status.

Bronze Mannikin Fun Facts

What does bronze mannikin look like?

The adult of this species is known to be compact and has a short tail which is black in color and dull gray and stubby black mandibles. The head, throat, chin, center of the chest of the adult bird are black-brownish with an iridescence that is purple-green on the face and breast sides.

The upper parts of the adult are brown-grayish, whereas, the underparts are white in color. This species is known to have irregular stripes on the rump and the flanks.

There is also a greenish small patch on the outer scapular feathers. The remiges and wing coverts are known to be edged with warmer and dull shades.

Adult males and females are known to be similar looking. The juveniles differ slightly and are known to have dun brown upperparts and buff underparts and are a bit dark than adults.

The head is also known to be buff-colored. To spot this mannikin, note a short, dark tail and the color of the bird.

We've been unable to source an image of a bronze mannikin and have used an image of its habitat. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a bronze mannikin, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.

How cute are they?

These birds are considered cute due to their size and color.

How do they communicate?

Communication of this bird species takes place by various sounds and calls produced. During flight, their calls sound like 'rreep-rreeep', and when perched, the call is twittering and has wheezy and buzzing notes. The song of the bronze mannikin is explained as a series of continuous and repetitive notes.

How big is a bronze mannikin?

The length of the bronze munia or bronze mannikin (Spermestes cucullata or Lonchura cucullata) ranges from 3.5-4 in (9-10 cm) and is known to be of small-medium sized length.

How fast can a bronze mannikin fly?

The exact flying speed of the bronze mannikin is not known, but these birds are known to be quite active.

How much does a bronze mannikin weigh?

The weight of this bird is around 0.24-0.42 oz (7-12 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of this species do not have any particular name. The aggressive sides of these birds come out during the breeding season and some keepers have stated that the hen requires a break and thus, the pair needs to be separated.

What would you call a baby bronze mannikin?

A baby of this species does not have any specific name, but in general, is known as chicks or juveniles.

What do they eat?

The diet of this bird, bronze munia, is omnivorous and the food of this bird consists of seeds primarily. The seeds include grain, rice, wild grass seeds, and millet. This bird is also known to feed on nectar, termites, and strands of algae.

Are they poisonous?

These birds are not considered poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

Not a lot is known about the bronze mannikin as pets. Although the bronze mannikins or bronze munias appear to be tiny and little, these birds are known to have aggressive temperaments and strong personalities.

Did you know...

It is also known as bronze munia. Binomially, it is also known as Lonchura cucullata. The specific epithet is derived from late Latin 'cucullatus' which means 'hooded'.

The formal description of this bird was done by William John Swainson, an English naturalist in 1837.

Two subspecies of this bird have been recognized, namely, Spermestes cucullata cucullata swainson and Spermestes cucullata cucullata Heuglin.

When these birds find themselves in front of bigger birds, the defense mechanism used by these birds is raising their wing behind themselves in order to appear larger in size and tends to also make a rattling noise.

The subtle body color of this bird looks best in natural light.

The pairs of this species are known to engage in allopreening.

The various predators of adults include common fiscal, cats, little sparrowhawk, fork-tailed drongo, and the ones that prey on eggs and the chicks include African goshawk, pied crow, kingfishers, snakes, mice, and Walhberg's eagle.

The roosting habits of individual families take place in brooding.

The bronze mannikin is known to be quite similar to the magpie mannikin and one of the differences include that the magpie mannikin has a dark and blacker hood.

Is the bronze mannikin endemic?

Bronze mannikins or bronze munias are known to be native to mainland Africa.

How many eggs do bronze mannikin lay?

The nest is made using pine needles, asparagus stems, and green grass and is placed in a bush or tree. In these nests, around four to eight white-colored eggs are laid.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our green-winged teal fun facts or thick-billed parrot facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable four calling birds coloring pages.