Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Sometimes they are treated as a subfamily, Estrildinae, within the family Passeridae; Passeridae narrowly defined comprises the Old World sparrows. Despite the word "finch" being included in the common names of many of the species, they are not closely related to birds with this name in other families, such as the Fringillidae, Emberizidae or Passerellidae. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short, thick, but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but vary widely in plumage colours and patterns. All estrildids build large, domed nests and lay five to ten white eggs. Many species build roost nests. Some of the firefinches and pytilias are hosts to the brood-parasitic indigobirds and whydahs, respectively. Most are sensitive to cold and require warm, usually tropical, habitats, although a few, such as the eastern alpine mannikin, mountain firetail, red-browed finch, and the genus Stagonopleura, have adapted to the cooler climates of southern Australia and the highlands of New Guinea. The smallest species of the family is the Shelley's oliveback at a mere, although the lightest species is the black-rumped waxbill at. The largest species is the Java sparrow at and.
Evolution
The phylogeography and possible origin of estrildid species have been studied. The following scheme may be useful to represent a hypothetical origin in India in the last and strongest Himalayas uplift, when the monsoon rains regime was established in India. The conclusions from this study are:
They may have started evolving by the Middle Miocene epoch
This proposed timing is coincidental with the Fringillinae radiation starting time and also with the main Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau uplift, triggered by the Indian tectonic plate collision; this established present day southern Asia monsoon regime and other drastic climatic changes, like drier weather in the Tibetan Plateau and Chinese deserts.
The most ancient evolutionary group comprises African, Asian and Australian species; this suggests that the whole estrildid radiation might have originated around India.
The African group Nesocharis is grouped with the African genus Estrilda.
The Java sparrow is a highly modified species from genus Lonchura: bigger than the rest of Lonchura species, with a conspicuous and quite different head pattern. It is endemic to Java, Bali, and the Bawean Islands, although escapees from captivity can be seen today in other neighboring islands.
African munias belong to a genus different from Australian and Asian munias.
