Prinia

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Prinia
Bar-winged Prinia (Prinia familiaris) .jpg
Bar-winged prinia (Prinia familiaris)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Prinia
Horsfield, 1821
Type species
Prinia familiaris [1]
Horsfield, 1821
Species

See text

Ashy prinia (Prinia socialis) in Hyderabad, India Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis) in Hyderabad W IMG 8738.jpg
Ashy prinia ( Prinia socialis ) in Hyderabad, India
Plain prinia (Prinia inornata) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India Plain Prinia I IMG 7615.jpg
Plain prinia ( Prinia inornata ) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Grey-breasted prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) eyeing Lannea coromandelica fruit W IMG 7890.jpg
Grey-breasted prinia ( Prinia hodgsonii ) in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India

Prinia is a genus of small insectivorous birds belonging to the passerine bird family Cisticolidae. They were at one time classed in the Old World warbler family, Sylviidae.

Contents

The prinias are sometimes referred to as wren-warblers. They are a little-known group of the tropical and subtropical Old World, the roughly thirty species being divided fairly equally between Africa and Asia.

These are birds mainly of open habitats such as long grass or scrub, in which they are not easily seen. They are mainly resident, migration being limited to local cold weather movements. Non-breeding birds may form small flocks.

Prinias have short wings but long tapering tails. They are fairly drab birds, brown or grey above (sometimes with dark streaks) and whitish below. Some species have different breeding and non-breeding plumages. The bill is a typical insectivore's, thin and slightly curved.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield in 1821. The type species is the bar-winged prinia (Prinia familiaris). [2] [3] The name of the genus is derived from the Javanese prinya, the local name for the bar-winged prinia. [4]

A molecular phylogenetic study of the Cisticolidae published in 2013 found that the rufous-vented grass babbler did not lie within the clade containing the other prinias. [5] Based on this analysis the rufous-vented prinia and the closely related swamp grass babbler were moved to the reinstated genus Laticilla in the family Pellorneidae. [6]

Species

The genus contains 30 species: [6]

ImageCommon NameScientific NameDistribution
Striated-prinia 29996308040 o.jpg Himalayan prinia Prinia crinigeraHimalayas and southern China
- Striped prinia Prinia striataChina, Taiwan
- Brown prinia Prinia polychroaIndochina and Java
- Burmese prinia Prinia cookieBurma and southern Yunnan
- Annam prinia Prinia rockiĐà Lạt Plateau
Black-throated Prinia.jpg Black-throated prinia Prinia atrogulariseastern Himalayas
- Rufous-crowned prinia Prinia khasianaPatkai
Prinia superc dysanc 190705-P901974 skrg.JPG Hill prinia Prinia superciliarissouthern China and Southeast Asia
PriniaPoliocephalaSmit.jpg Grey-crowned prinia Prinia cinereocapillaHimalayas
Prinia buchanani -Rajasthan, India-8.jpg Rufous-fronted prinia Prinia buchananinorthern half of South Asia
Rufescent Prinia - Krung Ching - Thailand S4E3616 (14258814955) (2).jpg Rufescent prinia Prinia rufescensIndochina and northeast India
Grey-breasted prinia by Tisha Mukherjee 18.jpg Grey-breasted prinia Prinia hodgsoniiIndochina and South Asia
Israel. Graceful Prinia (15397291996).jpg Graceful prinia Prinia gracilisNile valley, coastal East Africa and Western Asia, northern South Asia
Dikkuyruklu otlegen - Graceful prinia - Prinia gracile 03.jpg Delicate prinia Prinia lepidaMiddle East and northern South Asia
Jungle Prinia (Prinia sylvatica) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 1329.jpg Jungle prinia Prinia sylvaticaIndia and Sri Lanka
Bar-winged Prinia (Prinia familiaris) .jpg Bar-winged prinia Prinia familiarisSumatra and Java
Yellow-bellied Prinia - Taiwan S4E9702 (17133168450).jpg Yellow-bellied prinia Prinia flaviventrisIndus valley, Himalayas and Southeast Asia
Ashy prinia(Prinia socialis) 3 kti[?]vaal[?] kuruvi .jpg Ashy prinia Prinia socialisSouth Asia
Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava) (11465162445).jpg Tawny-flanked prinia Prinia subflavaSub-Saharan Africa
Plain Prinia @ Sholinganallur.jpg Plain prinia Prinia inornataIndomalaya
Pale Prinia - Kenya S4E5983 (17294754976).jpg Pale prinia Prinia somalicaHorn of Africa
River Prinia (Prinia fluviatilis).jpg River prinia Prinia fluviatiliswestern Sahel and far north-western Kenya
Black-chested Prinia (Prinia flavicans) (51094318785).jpg Black-chested prinia Prinia flavicanssouthern Africa
Karoo (Spotted) Prinia (10537833606).jpg Karoo prinia Prinia maculosafar-southern Namibia, South Africa and Lesotho
Prinia Drakensberg 2011 12 13 07 33 44 7225 Cedara.jpg Drakensberg prinia Prinia hypoxanthaeastern South Africa and Swaziland
Prinia molleri 9711829.jpg São Tomé prinia Prinia mollirSão Tomé Island
Prinia bairdii 29057092.jpg Banded prinia Prinia bairdiicentral Africa
- Black-faced prinia Prinia melanopsRwenzori and western Kenya
Red-winged Prinia eating a grasshopper - Gambia (32527882031).jpg Red-winged prinia Prinia erythropteraSub-Saharan Africa (except central, southern and Horn of Africa)
Red-fronted Prinia iNaturalist.jpg Red-fronted prinia Prinia rufifronseastern Sahel and Horn of Africa

Species formerly in Prinia but now moved to Laticilla in family Pellorneidae: [5]

Related Research Articles

The Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. They are not closely related to the New World warblers. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into Cisticolidae and the kinglets into Regulidae. In the past 20–30 years they have been the subject of much research and many species are now placed into other families, including the Acrocephalidae, Cettiidae, Phylloscopidae, and Megaluridae. In addition some species have been moved into existing families or have not yet had their placement fully resolved. Only a small number of warblers, in just two genera, are now retained in the family Sylviidae.

<i>Cisticola</i> Genus of birds

Cisticolas are a genus of very small insectivorous birds formerly classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, but now usually considered to be in the separate family Cisticolidae, along with other southern warbler genera. They are believed to be quite closely related to the swallows and martins, the bulbuls and the white-eyes. The genus contains about 50 species, of which only two are not found in Africa: one in Madagascar and the other from Asia to Australasia. They are also sometimes called fantail-warblers due to their habit of conspicuously flicking their tails, or tailor-birds because of their nests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cisticolidae</span> Family of birds

The family Cisticolidae is a group of about 160 warblers, small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailorbird</span> Genus of birds

Tailorbirds are small birds, most belonging to the genus Orthotomus. While they were often placed in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, recent research suggests they more likely belong in the Cisticolidae and they are treated as such in Del Hoyo et al. One former species, the mountain tailorbird, is actually closer to an old world warbler genus Cettia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashy prinia</span> Species of bird

The ashy prinia or ashy wren-warbler is a small warbler in the family Cisticolidae. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, ranging across most of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, eastern Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and western Myanmar. It is a common bird in urban gardens and farmlands in many parts of India and its small size, distinctive colours and upright tail make it easy to identify. The northern populations have a rufous rump and back and have a distinct breeding and non-breeding plumage while other populations lack such variation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tawny-flanked prinia</span> Species of bird

The tawny-flanked prinia is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Prinia in the family Cisticolidae, a family of Old World warblers. It is widespread and common in most parts of Africa south of the Sahara. The plain prinia of southern Asia was formerly included in this species but is now usually considered to be a separate species.

<i>Apalis</i> Genus of birds

The apalises are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Apalis, in the family Cisticolidae. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are slender birds with long tails and have a slender bill for catching insects. They are typically brown, grey or green above and several species have brightly coloured underparts. Males and females are usually similar in appearance but the males are sometimes brighter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-vented grass babbler</span> Species of bird

The rufous-vented grass babbler or rufous-vented prinia is a small warbler in the family Pellorneidae that occurs in Pakistan, northwestern India and Nepal.

<i>Bathmocercus</i> Genus of birds

Bathmocercus is a genus of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It contains the following species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-winged grey warbler</span> Species of bird

The red-winged grey warbler is a small to medium size bird in the family Cisticolidae that is native to Central Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Drymocichla. It is mostly grey with a white underside, a long tail and a prominent red patch on the wing. It is commonly found in swamp and savanna-like environments where it breeds in the rainy season. The sexes are alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-winged prinia</span> Species of bird

The red-winged prinia or the red-winged warbler is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It formerly belonged in the monotypic genus Heliolais. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where its natural habitat is dry savanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-eared warbler</span> Species of bird

The rufous-eared warbler is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. It is the only species in the genus Malcorus. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

<i>Neomixis</i> Genus of birds

Neomixis is a genus of small forest birds that are endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberts's warbler</span> Species of bird

Roberts's warbler, also known as Roberts' prinia, briar warbler or brier warbler, is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Cisticolidae. This species is endemic to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is the only species in the genus Oreophilias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-fronted prinia</span> Species of bird

The red-fronted prinia, also known as the red-fronted warbler and the red-faced apalis, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvioidea</span> Superfamily of birds

Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds, one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks and bulbuls. Members of the clade are found worldwide, but fewer species are present in the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swamp grass babbler</span> Species of bird

The swamp grass babbler or swamp prinia is a small bird of the Indian subcontinent. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of the rufous-vented grass babbler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macrosphenidae</span> Family of birds

The African warblers are a newly erected family Macrosphenidae, of African songbirds. Most of the species were formerly placed in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, although one species, the rockrunner, was placed in the babbler family, Timaliidae. A series of molecular studies of the Old World warblers and other bird families in the superfamily Sylvioidea found that the African warblers were not part of Sylviidae but were instead an early (basal) offshoot of the entire clade Sylvioidea. Some taxonomic authorities place the entire family Hyliidae here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellorneidae</span> Family of birds

The ground babblers are a family, Pellorneidae, of mostly Old World passerine birds belonging to the superfamily Sylvioidea. They are quite diverse in size and coloration, and usually characterised by soft, fluffy plumage and a tail on average the length of their body, or longer. These birds are found in tropical zones, with the greatest biodiversity in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

<i>Laticilla</i> Genus of birds

Laticilla is a genus of small passerine birds in the family Pellorneidae. Members of the genus are found in Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

References

  1. "Cisticolidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. Horsfield, Thomas (1821). "Systematic arrangement and description of birds from the Island of Java". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 13: 133–200 [165]. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1821.tb00061.x. Title page dated 1822
  3. Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 128.
  4. Jobling, James A. (1991). A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.  189. ISBN   0-19-854634-3.
  5. 1 2 Olsson, U.; Irestedt, M.; Sangster, G.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Alström, P. (2013). "Systematic revision of the avian family Cisticolidae based on a multi-locus phylogeny of all genera". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (3): 790–799. Bibcode:2013MolPE..66..790O. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.11.004. PMID   23159891.
  6. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Monarchs". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 28 July 2021.