- Prinia gracilis
Identification
10–13 cm
- Greyish plumage
- Dark streaked upper parts
Distribution
Africa, Middle East and Asia
North Africa: Egypt
East Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia
Middle East, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran
Asia: Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 12 subspecies[1]:
- P. g. akyildizi: Coastal southern Turkey (Antalya to Adana)
- P. g. irakensis: Norther-eastern Syria to Iraq and south-western Iran (foothills of Zagros Mountains)
- P. g. palaestinae: Eastern Sinai to southern Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and north-western Arabia
- P. g. deltae: Egypt (Nile Delta) to Sinai and western Israel
- P. g. gracilis: Nile Valley from northern Egypt to southern Sudan
- P. g. natronensis: Northern Egypt (Wadi el Natrun)
- P. g. yemenensis: Coastal Arabia and Yemen (Mecca to Aden and Hadramaut)
- P. g. carlo: Coastal regions of northeastern Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia
- P. g. hufufae: Eastern Saudi Arabia (Hufuf Oasis) and Bahrain
- P. g. carpenteri: Coastal Oman
- P. g. lepida: Southern coastal Iran to Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India
- P. g. stevensi: Southern Nepal to north-eeastern India (Assam and Arunachal Pradesh)
Habitat
Bushes and reeds at marshes, sewage ponds and gravel pits. Farmland and other cultivated areas, including gardens with palm trees. Also scrub land.
Behaviour
Small, elusive, fast and jittery. They go deep into the foliage when feeding.
Diet
Their diet consists mainly of insects and small grubs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Graceful Prinia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Graceful_Prinia
External Links
