Singing Scaly-Breasted Munia Spotted In San Juan Capistrano

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — In southern California, the birds sing all year long. San Juan Capistrano resident Kristine Erickson can be the first to attest to that fact, after she spotted a number of gorgeous birds along the San Juan Capistrano creek Tuesday morning.

This bird in particular is a scaly-breasted munia, a species native to Asia but now seen in various places across the world — including San Juan Capistrano. They usually communicate with one another in bursts of short whistles and chirps, and this scaly-breasted munia was singing its heart out Tuesday morning, Erickson said.

"Along San Juan Capistrano creek there are beautiful birds," Erickson told Patch. Erickson, a local nature-lover and photographer, regularly sets out into the wilderness to snap shots of nature.

The same morning, Erickson caught sight of a red shouldered hawk, a medium-sized hawk native to the California coast and parts of Mexico. This one in particular appears to be surveying the land, or perhaps just taking a small rest break from some early-morning hunting.

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