These birds are called "biding" among Kankanaey speakers in Mountain Province. In English, they're called chestnut munias (Lonchura atricapilla).
These birds are often considered as pests among farming communities in the Cordillera region. They voraciously feast on rice grains. And because they fly from ricefield to ricefield in flocks, they can significantly reduce a ricefield's output.
Farmers would put up scarecrows and other scaring techniques (like cans stringed together to create a sustained noise barrage) to shoo away these birds.
Some also use a bird-catching technique called "ikik" to catch these birds at night.
For a long time, these birds were recognized as the national bird of the Philippines. But in 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos transferred the national bird honor to the Philippine eagle.
What do you call these birds in your place?
Photo by Cara Tabora.
