Alternative name: Namaqua Prinia
- Phragmacia substriata
Identification
Length 13-14 cm, mass 9-13 g.
Similar Species
Similar to the Karoo Prinia, but distiguished by its redder upperparts, and whitish (rather than yellowish) underparts with only fine streaking confined to the breast.
Distribution
Southern, western and central South Africa, and extreme southern Namibia.
Taxonomy
There are two subspecies:[1][2]
- P. s. substriata from central and south-western South Africa; and
- P. s. confinis from the Orange River valley near its mouth to about 23°E, and south to about 30°S.
Clements places this species in the genus Prinia.
Habitat
Woodland, thicket and reedbeds near drainage lines in arid and semi-arid areas; also gardens and irrigated orchards.
Behaviour
Usually forages in fairly dense vegetation for invertebrates and small fruits.
Vocalisation
The song is a high-pitched, trilling tit-trrrrrrrr.
Breeding
Monogamous and territorial. The nest is a deep, open cup built using leaves, roots and strips of bark; it is placed in vegetation or flood debris, usually within 1.5 m of the ground.
References
- 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.
- 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
- Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Namaqua Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Namaqua_Warbler
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
