![Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) eyeing Lannea coromandelica fruit W IMG 7890](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Grey-breasted_Prinia_%28Prinia_hodgsonii%29_eyeing_Lannea_coromandelica_fruit_W_IMG_7890.jpg)
Prinia is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of small insectivorous
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s belonging to the
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
family
Cisticolidae
The family Cisticolidae is a group of about 160 warblers, small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.
This family probably originated ...
. They were at one time classed in the
Old World warbler
Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the ci ...
family, Sylviidae.
The prinias are sometimes referred to as wren-warblers. They are a little-known group of the tropical and subtropical Old World, the roughly thirty species being divided fairly equally between
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
.
These are birds mainly of open habitats such as long grass or scrub, in which they are not easily seen. They are mainly resident,
migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
being limited to local cold weather movements. Non-breeding birds may form small flocks.
Prinias have short wings but long tapering tails. They are fairly drab birds, brown or grey above (sometimes with dark streaks) and whitish below. Some species have different breeding and non-breeding plumages. The bill is a typical insectivore's, thin and slightly curved.
Taxonomy
The genus was erected by the American naturalist
Thomas Horsfield
Thomas Horsfield (May 12, 1773 – July 24, 1859) was an American physician and natural history, naturalist who worked extensively in Indonesia, describing numerous species of plants and animals from the region. He was later a curator of the Eas ...
in 1821. The
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
is the
bar-winged prinia
The bar-winged prinia (''Prinia familiaris'') is a species of bird in the cisticola family Cisticolidae. The species is sometimes known as the bar-winged wren-warbler.
Description
The bar-winged prinia is a distinctive prinia, long and weighing ...
(''Prinia familiaris''). The name of the genus is derived from the
Javanese ''prinya'', the local name for the bar-winged prinia.
A
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study of the Cisticolidae published in 2013 found that the
rufous-vented grass babbler did not lie within the clade containing the other prinias.
Based on this analysis the
rufous-vented prinia and the closely related
swamp grass babbler were moved to the reinstated genus ''
Laticilla
''Laticilla'' is a genus of small passerine birds in the family Pellorneidae. Members of the genus are found in Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh.
A molecular phylogenetic study of the Cisticolidae published in 2013 found that the rufous-ven ...
'' in the family
Pellorneidae
The jungle babblers are a family, Pellorneidae, of mostly Old World passerine birds belonging to the superfamily Sylvioidea. They are quite diverse in size and coloration, and usually characterised by soft, fluffy plumage and a tail on average th ...
.
[
]
Species
The genus contains 29 species:
* Himalayan prinia
The Himalayan prinia (''Prinia crinigera'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It was formerly lumped in with the striped prinia (''P. striata'') as the striated prinia.
It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and parts of China, ...
, ''Prinia crinigera'' – formerly striated prinia
* Striped prinia, ''Prinia striata'' – split from ''P. crinigera''
* Brown prinia
The brown prinia (''Prinia polychroa'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. The Burmese prinia (''P. cooki'') and the Annam prinia (''P. rocki'') were formerly lumped with this species.
It is found in mainland Southeast Asia, name ...
, ''Prinia polychroa''
* Burmese prinia
The Burmese prinia (''Prinia cooki'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It and the Annam prinia (''P. rocki'') were formerly lumped with Deignan's prinia (''P. polychroa'') as the brown prinia.
It is found in Southeast Asia, wher ...
, ''Prinia cooki'' – split from ''P. polychroa''
* Annam prinia
The Annam prinia (''Prinia rocki'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It and the Burmese prinia (''P. cooki'') were formerly lumped with Deignan's prinia (''P. polychroa'') as the brown prinia.
It is found in the Đà Lạt Pla ...
, ''Prinia rocki'' – split from ''P. polychroa''
* Black-throated prinia
The black-throated prinia (''Prinia atrogularis'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found from eastern Nepal, through Bangladesh to Eastern India (Arunachal Pradesh). It was formerly considered conspecific with the hill pri ...
, ''Prinia atrogularis''
* Hill prinia
The hill prinia (''Prinia superciliaris'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It was formerly considered con-specific with the black ...
, ''Prinia superciliaris''
* Grey-crowned prinia
The grey-crowned prinia (''Prinia cinereocapilla'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Bhutan, northern India and Nepal.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist shru ...
, ''Prinia cinereocapilla''
* Rufous-fronted prinia
The rufous-fronted prinia (''Prinia buchanani'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in India and Pakistan.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest.
The species was described by Edward Blyth on the ba ...
, ''Prinia buchanani''
* Rufescent prinia
The rufescent prinia (''Prinia rufescens'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent (mainly in the northeast) and southern Yunnan.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry ...
, ''Prinia rufescens''
* Grey-breasted prinia, ''Prinia hodgsonii''
* Graceful prinia, ''Prinia gracilis''
* Delicate prinia, ''Prinia lepida''
* Jungle prinia, ''Prinia sylvatica''
* Bar-winged prinia
The bar-winged prinia (''Prinia familiaris'') is a species of bird in the cisticola family Cisticolidae. The species is sometimes known as the bar-winged wren-warbler.
Description
The bar-winged prinia is a distinctive prinia, long and weighing ...
, ''Prinia familiaris''
* Yellow-bellied prinia
The yellow-bellied prinia (''Prinia flaviventris'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Pakistan, the southern Himalayan foothills, the northeastern Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.
Gallery
Prinia flaviventri ...
, ''Prinia flaviventris''
* Ashy prinia
The ashy prinia or ashy wren-warbler (''Prinia socialis'') is a small warbler in the family Cisticolidae. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, ranging across most of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, eastern Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri ...
, ''Prinia socialis''
* Tawny-flanked prinia
The tawny-flanked prinia (''Prinia subflava'') is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Prinia'' in the family Cisticolidae, a family of Old World warblers. It is widespread and common in most parts of Africa south of the Sahara. The p ...
, ''Prinia subflava''
* Plain prinia
The plain prinia (''Prinia inornata''), also known as the plain wren-warbler or white-browed wren-warbler, p. 343 is a small Cisticolidae, cisticolid warbler found in southeast Asia. It is a resident breeder from Pakistan and India to south Chin ...
, ''Prinia inornata''
* Pale prinia, ''Prinia somalica''
* River prinia
The river prinia (''Prinia fluviatilis'') is a species of bird of the family Cisticolidae. It is found in northwestern Senegal, along the Niger River (near the border between Mali and Niger), in the Lake Chad region and in northwestern Kenya. Its ...
, ''Prinia fluviatilis''
* Black-chested prinia, ''Prinia flavicans''
* Karoo prinia
The Karoo prinia or spotted prinia (''Prinia maculosa'') is a small passerine bird. It is a resident breeder in South Africa, Lesotho and far southern Namibia.
It is a species found in karoo scrub, fynbos and bracken-covered slopes in semi-d ...
, ''Prinia maculosa''
* Drakensberg prinia, ''Prinia hypoxantha''
* São Tomé prinia
The São Tomé prinia (''Prinia molleri'') is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is Endemism, endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe and is found in the island of São Tomé Island, São Tomé. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tr ...
, ''Prinia molleri''
* Banded prinia, ''Prinia bairdii''
* Black-faced prinia, ''Prinia melanops'' – usually considered as a subspecies of ''P. bairdii''
* Red-winged prinia
The red-winged prinia or the red-winged warbler (''Prinia erythroptera'') is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It formerly belonged in the monotypic genus ''Heliolais''. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Repub ...
, ''Prinia erythroptera''
* Red-fronted prinia
The red-fronted prinia (''Prinia rufifrons''), also known as the red-fronted warbler and the red-faced apalis, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.
It is found in Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, ...
, ''Prinia rufifrons''
Species formerly in ''Prinia'' but now moved to ''Laticilla
''Laticilla'' is a genus of small passerine birds in the family Pellorneidae. Members of the genus are found in Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh.
A molecular phylogenetic study of the Cisticolidae published in 2013 found that the rufous-ven ...
'' in family Pellorneidae
The jungle babblers are a family, Pellorneidae, of mostly Old World passerine birds belonging to the superfamily Sylvioidea. They are quite diverse in size and coloration, and usually characterised by soft, fluffy plumage and a tail on average th ...
:[
* Rufous-vented grass babbler, ''Laticilla burnesii''
* Swamp grass babbler, ''Laticilla cinerascens''
]
References
* Nguembock B.; Fjeldsa J.; Tillier A.; Pasquet E. (2007): A phylogeny for the Cisticolidae (Aves: Passeriformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and a re-interpretation of a unique nest-building specialization. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 42: 272–286.
* Ryan, Peter (2006). Family Cisticolidae (Cisticolas and allies). pp. 378–492 in del Hoyo J., Elliott A. & Christie D.A. (2006) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World
The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...
''. Volume 11. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers'' Lynx Edicions, Barcelona
* Urban, E.K.; Fry, C.H. & Keith, S. (1997) ''The Birds of Africa
:"The Birds of Africa" ''is also a five-volume handbook by George Ernest Shelley, published 1896-1912.''
''The Birds of Africa'' is an eight-volume ornithological handbook.
Its authors/editors are C. Hilary Fry, Stuart Keith and Emil Urban, a ...
'', vol. 5. Academic Press, London.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q863293
Bird genera