Alternative names: Spotted Prinia
Subspecies P. m. maculosa
Photo by kennekam
Algeria, Cederberg Mountains, Western Cape, South Africa, March 2005
Photo by kennekam
Algeria, Cederberg Mountains, Western Cape, South Africa, March 2005
- Prinia maculosa
Identification
13-15 cm long (mass 10 g),
Round wings, long tail, short, straight black bill. White eyebrow, brown upperparts, white throat and lower face, yellow-white streaked underparts, pink-brown legs and feet, dark brown eye.
Sexes identical. Juveniles more yellow below and less streaked.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Drakensberg Prinia was formerly considered a subspecies of this species.
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- P. m. maculosa:
- Southern Namibia and western South Africa (east to southern Free State and Eastern Cape)
- P. m. psammophila: is paler above than nominate
- South-western Namibia and northwestern South Africa (western Northern Cape)
- P. m. exultans: is more heavily streaked than nominate
- Eastern South Africa (Eastern Cape and western KwaZulu-Natal) and Lesotho
Habitat
Shrublands, coastal and mountain scrub, rank grass, weedy areas, thickets and gardens.
Behaviour
It builds a thin-walled oval nest with a side entrance from green grass.
Diet includes insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Karoo Prinia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Karoo_Prinia
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
