Red Munia in Bhopal

The Red Munia, is a sparrow-sized bird of the Munia family. They are popular cage birds due to the colourful plumage of the males in their breeding season. Their normal habitat is open grassland and paddy fields. They breed in the monsoon season. The species name amandava and the common name of avadavat is derived from the city of Ahmedabad from where these birds were exported into the pet trade. The beak begins to turn red in May and darkens during November and December. The beak then turns rapidly to black in April and the cycle continues.