Black-faced munia  The black-faced munia ("Lonchura molucca") is a species of estrildid finch found in Indonesia. Other common names include tricoloured munia or chestnut munia. It occurs in a wide range of habitats including artificial landscapes (e.g. parks and gardens), forest, grassland and savannah. It was first described by theSwedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his "Systema Naturae" in 1766. The IUCN has evaluated the status of this bird as being of least concern. In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the black-faced munia in his "Ornithologie" based on a specimen collected from the Maluku Islands. He used the French name "Le gros-bec de Moluques" and the Latin "Coccothraustes Moluccensis". Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his "Systema Naturae" for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the black-faced munia. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name "Loxia molucca" and cited Brisson's work. The specific name "molucca" denotes the Moluccas islands. This species is now placed in the genus "Lonchura" that was introduced by the English naturalist William Henry Sykes in 1832. The black-faced munia has a black head and upper throat contrasting with the rufous brown upper parts and the pale lower throat and underparts. The tail, lower belly and the under-tail coverts are black. The bill is thick and bluish-grey and the legs are dark-coloured. In another colour phase, the underparts are brown rather than pale. The black-faced munia is native to Indonesia including the island group of Wallacea but is absent from the Lesser Sundas. It is also present in East Timor. It is a seed-eating bird and is found in small flocks in grassy areas. It has been introduced into South America and is now established on the plain of Los Llanos in northern Venezuela at altitudes below .