Banded Prinia - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Steve G
Kakamega Forest, Kenya, July, 2011

Prinia bairdii

Includes: Black-faced Prinia

Identification

12–13 cm

• Dark plumage
• Two white wing bars
• Banded underparts
• Long graduated tail

Distribution

Africa
Western Africa: Guinea, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi

Taxonomy

ssp melanops
Photo by MarcellC
Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda, November 2010

Subspecies

There are four subspecies^[1]:

• P. b. bairdii:

• South-eastern Nigeria to Cabinda, north-eastern Zaire and western Uganda

• P. b. heinrichi:

• North-westen Angola (Cuanza Norte)

• P. b. obscura:

• Highlands of eastern Zaire to western Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi

• P. b. melanops:

• Kenya (west of Rift Valley)

Melanops (together with obscura) is sometimes split as Black-faced Prinia.

Habitat

Moist lowland and montane forests usually in tangled growth and clearings.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of insects, including flies, beetles and caterpillars.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Banded Prinia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Banded_Prinia

External Links

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