Grey-breasted prinia

Grey-breasted prinia
eyeing Lannea coromandelica fruit in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Prinia
Species: P. hodgsonii
Binomial name
Prinia hodgsonii
(Blyth, 1844)

The grey-breasted prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) is a small warbler. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia.

in Hyderabad, India.

This skulking passerine bird is typically found in open woodland, scrub jungle, and other open areas with some grass. Grey-breasted prinia builds its nest in tall grass and lays 3–4 eggs.

These 11-to-13-centimetre (4 to 5 in) long warblers have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. In breeding plumage, adults are grey-brown above, with no supercilium, a black eye stripe and orange eyering. They have a rufous wing panel. Grey-breasted prinia's underparts are white with a grey breast band. The sexes are identical.

Non-breeding birds have browner upperpart plumage and a white supercilium, but lack the breast band. Young birds are like non-breeding adults but more rufous above. There are a number of subspecies. The distinctive greyer endemic race in Sri Lanka, P. h. leggei, retains summer-type plumage all year round.

Like most warblers, grey-breasted prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive chiwee-chiwee-chiwee-chip-chip-chip.

Habits, behavior, plumage

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Prinia hodgsonii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
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