Tawny-flanked prinia

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Tawny-flanked prinia
Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava) (11465162445).jpg
At Lake Panic, Kruger NP and calls at the Palala River, Waterberg Biosphere
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Prinia
Species:
P. subflava
Binomial name
Prinia subflava
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)

The tawny-flanked prinia (Prinia subflava) 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 (P. inornata) of southern Asia was formerly included in this species but is now usually considered to be a separate species.

Contents

Taxonomy

The tawny-flanked prinia was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . He placed it with the wagtails in the genus Motacilla and coined the binomial name Motacilla subflava. [2] The specific epithet combines the Latin sub meaning "beneath" or "somewhat" with flavus meaning "yellow". [3] Gmelin based his account on a hand coloured engraving by François-Nicolas Martinet that was published to accompany the Comte de Buffon's multi-volume work, the Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. [4] The tawny-flanked prinia is now one of 30 species placed in the genus Prinia that was introduced by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield in 1821. [5]

Ten subspecies are recognised: [5]

Description

The tawny-flanked prinia is 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) in length with a long, narrow, graduated tail [6] and a fairly long, slender bill. The tail is often held erect or waved from side to side. The upperparts are grey-brown with rufous-brown edges to the flight feathers and a rufous tinge to the rump. The throat and breast are whitish while the flanks and vent are warm buff. There is a whitish stripe over the eye and the lores are dark. The tail feathers have a white tip and a dark subterminal band.

The sexes are similar in appearance. Non-breeding birds have a longer tail than breeding birds. Juveniles have pale yellow underparts and a yellowish bill. There are many recognised subspecies.

The call is short, wheezy and rapidly repeated. The song is a monotonous series of shrill notes. The male often sings from an exposed perch.

The pale prinia (P. somalica) of North-east Africa is similar but paler and greyer with whitish flanks. It inhabits drier, more open habitats than the tawny-flanked prinia. The river prinia (P. fluviatilis) of West Africa is also paler and greyer and has a longer tail. It is restricted to waterside vegetation.

Distribution and habitat

There are ten subspecies distributed across most parts of sub-Saharan Africa except for the driest and wettest areas. It is absent from much of the Congo Basin, southern Namibia, south-west Botswana and the western half of South Africa. It is found amongst shrubs and grass in a variety of habitats including woodland, savanna and cultivated areas. It adapts well to man-made habitats and is not considered to be threatened.

Behaviour

It feeds on insects and other invertebrates. It forages in small flocks which move through shrubs and undergrowth.

The nest is purse-shaped and made of strips of grass woven together. It is built one to two metres above the ground. Two to four eggs are laid; they are variable in ground colour and usually have brown or purple spots or blotches.

Related Research Articles

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

The Namaqua warbler, also known as the Namaqua prinia or white-breasted prinia, is a small passerine bird, a cisticolid warbler and the sole member of the genus Phragmacia. It was formerly placed in the genus Prinia, but was found to be sufficiently distinct to warrant a genus of its own.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rattling cisticola</span> Species of bird

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-crowned bishop</span> Species of bird

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References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Prinia subflava". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22713607A94382574. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22713607A94382574.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 982.
  3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 370. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Figuier blond de Sénégal". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 6. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 584, Fig. 2.
  5. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Grassbirds, Donacobius, tetrakas, cisticolas, allies". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  6. Ryan, P.G. (2006). "Family Cisticolidae (Cisticolas and allies)" . In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 11: Old Word flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 378–491 [435–436]. ISBN   978-84-96553-06-4.