Bird Guide

Grey-breasted Prinia vs Tawny-flanked Prinia

Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii)

Grey-breasted Prinia

Prinia hodgsonii

Tiny6 gShrubland

These 11-to-13-centimetre (4 to 5 in) long warblers have a longish grey tail with graduated feathers that are tipped in white, they have strong pinkish legs and a short black bill. The eye ring is orange. The sexes look alike in most populations except in P .h. pectoralis of Sri Lanka where the female can be told apart by the incomplete breast band. The underparts are buff white and the grey breast band contrasts with the white throat in the breeding season. They have a rufous wing panel and the upperparts are smoky grey during the breeding season and olive brown in the non-breeding period. Voice: In breeding season, the male gives a spirited performance from an exposed perch excitedly warbling his squeaky yousee-yousee-yousee-which-which-which song. A conversational call-note, zee zee zee is uttered as the birds move along.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jairam Vijayan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: J.M.Garg · CC BY 3.0
Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava)

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Prinia subflava

Tiny9 gShrubland

The tawny-flanked prinia is 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) in length with a long, narrow, graduated tail and a fairly long, slender bill. The tail is often held erect or waved from side to side. The upperparts are grey-brown with rufous-brown edges to the flight feathers and a rufous tinge to the rump. The throat and breast are whitish while the flanks and vent are warm buff. There is a whitish stripe over the eye and the lores are dark. The tail feathers have a white tip and a dark subterminal band. The sexes are similar in appearance. Non-breeding birds have a longer tail than breeding birds.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Ben Phalan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: suncana · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-breasted Prinia and Tawny-flanked Prinia.