Aug - 2011


AUGUST - 2011

Dear Nature Lovers,

Greetings from oikos !
Monsoon sets in, painting green all over… every nook n corner have seasonal grasses & herbs flowering in late monsoon… tremendous diversity of insects, birds, smaller fauna is associated with this diversity… they use various plant parts for a range of uses. 
Spotted Munia uses grass blades for its house construction. One can notice these grass blades flying behind tiny ‘Munia’ in green, monsoon landscape…
So everything is important & useful in Nature, even the grass blades, that we generally remove as weeds !
Regards, 
Ketaki & Manasi. 

Spotted Munia 
Zoological name: Lonchura punctulata
Also known as Scaly-breasted Munia.  
It is a commonly seen small bird generally found in open forests, bushes & cultivation throughout India except areas above 2500 m and in Sri lanka to Indonesia, Philippines. It can be easily identified by brown colour & spots. It has a stubby, conical bill useful for crushing hard seeds & grains of grasses. 
It is found in small groups. Its nest is a very large ball of grasses lined with feathers. It is like a colony of many pairs nesting together. A pair generally lays 4-8 white coloured eggs during June to September.
Its food is mainly grains, but also eats small berries, insect sometimes.
It is a popular cage bird, even though it is not allowed by law.  
 

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Oikos for ecological services
Ph. 020-25451875
Web: www.oikos.in