Plain Prinia
Prinia inornata
The Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata) is a common cisticola found in 16 countries, weighing about 7 g. The plain prinia, also known as the plain wren-warbler or white-browed wren-warbler, is a small cisticolid warbler found in southeast Asia.
About the Plain Prinia
The plain prinia, also known as the plain wren-warbler or white-browed wren-warbler, is a small cisticolid warbler found in southeast Asia. It is a resident breeder from Pakistan and India to south China and southeast Asia. It was formerly included in the tawny-flanked prinia, resident in Africa south of the Sahara. The two are now usually considered to be separate species.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
These 13–14-cm long warblers have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. In breeding plumage, adults are grey-brown above, with a short white supercilium and rufous fringes on the closed wings. The underparts are whitish-buff. The sexes are identical. In winter, the upperparts are a warmer brown, and the underparts more buff. The tail is longer than in summer. There are a number of races differing in plumage shade. The endemic race in Sri Lanka retains summer plumage, including the shorter tail, all year round.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Plain Prinia can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Plain Prinia?
- These 13–14-cm long warblers have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Plain Prinia?
- The Plain Prinia is a tiny sized bird weighing about 7 g.
- Where can you see a Plain Prinia?
- The Plain Prinia occurs in 16 countries, including Taiwan, India, Thailand, China and Sri Lanka.
- What birds look similar to a Plain Prinia?
- The Plain Prinia is most easily confused with the Ashy Prinia, the Tawny-flanked Prinia and the Yellow-bellied Prinia.
- Is the Plain Prinia endangered?
- The Plain Prinia is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Plain Prinia for real
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