Capucin de Nouvelle-Bretagne Lonchura melaena

A handsome small finch that appears very dark with a bright white belly patch. Head and chest black, back rich hazelnut brown, tail golden-orange. Undertail very black. Flanks scaled black-and-white. Found in most patches of tall grass up to 1200 meters of elevation. Other munias occur in the same areas, but Bismarck’s bold color patterns make for simple identification. Most common call is a chorus of soft “peep” and “see” notes, but overall relatively quiet.