From Opus

Alternative Name: Roberts's Warbler

Prinia robertsi

Oreophilais robertsi

[edit] Identification

Length 14-15 cm, mass 7-12 g.

Adult: A prinia-like warbler with olive-brown upper parts, slate-brown head and yellow eyes. The breast is greyish rufous, the belly is white and the flanks and vent rufous.

Juvenile: Similar to the adult, but with grey to brown eyes.

[edit] Similar species

The Tawny-flanked Prinia is paler and has a whitish eyebrow.

[edit] Distribution

Eastern highlands (>1200 m) of Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique.

[edit] Taxonomy

Some authorities^[2][3][4] place this species in the genus Oreophilais and others^[1][5] in Prinia.

Monotypic.

[edit] Habitat

Moist montane forest; in clearings, along streams and in bracken and brier thicket. Also in thick bush on rocky slopes and in thickets within timber plantations.

[edit] Behaviour

In small groups, in pairs or singly. Often forages with mixed-species flocks. Eats small invertebrates.

[edit] Vocalisation

A noisy, shrill, harsh chattering cha-cha-cha-cha and a scolding zizz-zizz.

[edit] Breeding

Monogamous and territorial. The oval nest has a side-top entrance and is built using fine grass, moss and spiders web. It is placed about a metre above the ground in a shrub or herb. Two to three eggs are laid September to February.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Dickinson, EC, ed. 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed., with updates to December 2007 (Corrigenda 7). Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117010
3. Gill, F, M Wright and D Donsker. 2009. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.0). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
4. Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
5. Sibley, CG and BL Monroe. 1996. Birds of the World, on diskette, Windows version 2.0. Charles G. Sibley, Santa Rosa, CA, USA.

• List of references

[edit] External Links