Waxbills (Estrildidae)

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) - HBW 15, p. 374

French: Capucin donacole German: Braunbrustnonne Spanish: Capuchino Pechicastaño
Other common names: Chestnut-breasted Munia/Finch, Chestnut Finch

Taxonomy: Amadina castaneothorax Gould, 1837, New South Wales, Australia.
Often hybridizes with L. flaviprymna in NW Australia; in New Guinea sometimes interbreeds with L. caniceps. In captivity has hybridized with 25 estrildid species, mainly other members of genus. Proposed race assimilis, described from Eureka (Northern Territory), in N Australia, is synonymized with nominate. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

uropygialis Stresemann & Paludan, 1934 - NW New Guinea (E side of Geelvink Bay).
boschmai Junge, 1952 - W New Guinea (Wissel Lakes and R Araboe E into highlands).
sharpii ( Madarász, 1894) - N & NE New Guinea from Humboldt Bay area E, including Manam I, to Astrolabe Bay.

See all 5 subspecies

uropygialis Stresemann & Paludan, 1934 - NW New Guinea (E side of Geelvink Bay).
boschmai Junge, 1952 - W New Guinea (Wissel Lakes and R Araboe E into highlands).
sharpii ( Madarász, 1894) - N & NE New Guinea from Humboldt Bay area E, including Manam I, to Astrolabe Bay.
ramsayi Delacour, 1943 - SE New Guinea E from Bereina area (Gulf of Papua), also D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago.
castaneothorax ( Gould, 1837) - N Western Australia (from Derby and Kimberley) E to Melville I, Gulf of Carpenteria and N Queensland (Cape York Peninsula), thence S along coast to E New South Wales.