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Padda

  • Java Sparrow

    Java Sparrow
    (Padda oryzivora, or Lonchura oryzivora) 
    also known as the Java finch, Java rice sparrow or Java rice bird

    The Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora, or Lonchura oryzivora) is a small passerine bird of the family estrildid finches, Estrildidae.

    Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. 
    They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. 

    The word Estrildidae is derived from the Greek word "estrildis," meaning "sparrow-like," and the Latin suffix "-idae," denoting a family of animals.

    The genus name Padda may come from the Malay word padi meaning "rice".
    Some taxonomists now place this genus in Lonchura with the mannikins and munias, hence this bird species may also be known as Lonchura oryzivora.

    The specific epithet oryzivora is a Latinized compound word combining Greek and Latin roots to mean "rice-eating":
     - Oryza (from Greek oruza / ορυζα): Means "rice";
     - -vora (from Latin -vorus): Means "eating" or "consuming".