Plain prinia

The plain prinia (Prinia inornata), also known as the plain wren-warbler or white-browed wren-warbler, is a small cisticolid warbler found in southeast Asia. It is a resident breeder from Pakistan and India to south China and southeast Asia. It was formerly included in the tawny-flanked prinia (Prinia subflava), resident in Africa south of the Sahara. The two are now usually considered to be separate species.

Plain prinia
P. i. inornata in winter Uttar Pradesh, India
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Cisticolidae
Genus:	Prinia
Species:	P. inornata
Binomial name
Prinia inornata Sykes, 1832
Range of the subspecies

Description

These 13–14-cm 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 a short white supercilium and rufous fringes on the closed wings. The underparts are whitish-buff. The sexes are identical.

In winter, the upperparts are a warmer brown, and the underparts more buff. The tail is longer than in summer. There are a number of races differing in plumage shade. The endemic race in Sri Lanka retains summer plumage, including the shorter tail, all year round.

Biology

This skulking passerine bird is typically found in wet lowland grassland, open woodland, scrub and sometimes gardens. The plain prinia builds its nest in a shrub or tall grass and lays three to six eggs. (The tawny-flanked prinia nests in herbage and lays two to four eggs.)

Like most warblers, the plain prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive tlee-tlee-tlee.

Gallery

• 
  P. i. terricolor
  Punjab, India
• 
  P. i. fusca
  Nepalgunj, Nepal
• 
  P. i. franklinii
  Tamil Nadu, India
• 
  P. i. insularis
  Sri Lanka
• 
  P. i. herberti
  Bangkok, Thailand

Further reading

• Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa by Baker, ISBN 0-7136-3971-7
• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
• Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1