The rufous-vented grass babbler or rufous-vented prinia (''Laticilla burnesii'') is a small
warbler
Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous.
Sylvioid warblers
Th ...
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 ...
that occurs in Pakistan, northwestern India and Nepal.
Taxonomy
The rufous-vented grass babbler was
described by the English zoologist
Edward Blyth
Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the museum of the Asiatic Society of India in Calcutta.
Blyth was born in London in 1810. In 1841 ...
in 1844 under the
binomial name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Eurycercus burnesii''. It is named after
Alexander Burnes
Captain Sir Alexander Burnes (16 May 1805 – 2 November 1841) was a Scottish explorer, military officer, and diplomat associated with the Great Game. He was nicknamed Bokhara Burnes for his role in establishing contact with and expl ...
.
Two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognised:
* ''L. b. burnesii'' (Blyth, 1844) - Pakistan and northwest India
* ''L. b. nepalicola'' Baral, Basnet, Chaudhary, B, Chaudhary, H, Giri & Som, 2008 - Nepal
Description
Rufous-vented grass babblers average long with a wing length from the bend to the tip of (females) or (males) to . Adults are a cool brown colour above except that a buffy region on the back of the neck and upper back forms a distinct collar. Bold dark streaking starts at the forehead and fades on the back. The underparts are whitish with a tawny hue and dark streaking on the flanks. The undertail coverts are bright rufous or chestnut. The upper surface of the wings has barring formed by the covert feathers and their paler fringes. The wing linings are a faintly tawny off-white. The
flight feather
Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...
s of the wings are greyish brown; when the wing is folded, the primaries barely extend beyond the tertials. Those of the tail may be greyish or olive-brown and have rufous tips. The tail is long and strongly graduated, that is, the outermost pair of feathers is only one-third as long as the central pair. The head shows a conspicuous white eye-ring, whitish lores, and dark-streaked whitish cheeks.
[
The upper mandible is horn-brown; the lower, straw-brown or flesh-brown. The eyes are brown, varying a little in lightness. The legs are flesh-colored or pale brown.][
From July to September the plumage is worn, especially the tail, which may be much shorter than in fresh plumage and missing the rufous tips. The moult is usually complete by October.][
Juveniles are similar but have loose, fluffy plumage. They have little or no streaking on the back and their tail tips are rufous, not tawny. They molt into adult head and body plumage, retaining their flight feathers, about 4 to 6 weeks after fledging.][
Calls include "a wheezy ''feez'', and a quiet, very rapid nasal rattle." The song is described as a warble about 4 seconds long, liquid and loud, comparable to that of a ]dunnock
The dunnock (''Prunella modularis'') is a small passerine, or perching bird, found throughout temperate Europe and into Asian Russia. Dunnocks have also been successfully introduced into New Zealand. It is by far the most widespread member of th ...
.[
]
Range and habitat
As treated here, this bird is found only in the plains of the Indus
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
in Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and adjacent in Punjab (India)
Punjab (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Himachal ...
. (However, the swamp grass babbler
The swamp grass babbler or swamp prinia (''Laticilla cinerascens'') is a small bird of the Indian subcontinent. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of the rufous-vented grass babbler.
Range, habitat, and status
The swamp grass babbler occu ...
of Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
is often combined with this species.) It inhabits a variety of long grasslands, notably plains of sarkhan (''Saccharum
''Saccharum'' is a genus of tall perennial plants of the broomsedge tribe within the grass family.
The genus is widespread across tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions in Africa, Eurasia, Australia, the Americas, and assorted ocean ...
'') but also plains of elephant grass The term Elephant grass may refer to the following grass species:
* The Asian ''Miscanthus giganteus'', also known as giant miscanthus, commonly used as a biomass crop
* The African ''Cenchrus purpureus'', also known as Napier grass, Uganda grass o ...
and ekra grass, sometimes where mixed with acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
s and tamarisk
The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tam ...
s. It can even occur in deserts with scattered patches of tall grass, and reedbeds
A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and
estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...
. It prefers the vicinity of large rivers and their tributaries or swamps.[.]
Behaviour
This species skulks low in grass tussocks, hopping and threading its way through, often in small groups, feeding on insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...
s. It usually holds its tail slightly cocked. When it flies, something that is hard to cause, it goes only to a nearby tussock. It is easiest to find in the breeding season, when it sings in the mornings and evenings.[
]
Status
The conservation status of the rufous-vented grass babbler is rated at near threatened
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
. It is locally common or abundant in the Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
and northern Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
but much rarer in southern Sindh.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27075515
rufous-vented grass babbler
The rufous-vented grass babbler or rufous-vented prinia (''Laticilla burnesii'') is a small warbler in the family Pellorneidae that occurs in Pakistan, northwestern India and Nepal.
Taxonomy
The rufous-vented grass babbler was Species description ...
Birds of Pakistan
Birds of India
Birds of Nepal
rufous-vented grass babbler
The rufous-vented grass babbler or rufous-vented prinia (''Laticilla burnesii'') is a small warbler in the family Pellorneidae that occurs in Pakistan, northwestern India and Nepal.
Taxonomy
The rufous-vented grass babbler was Species description ...
rufous-vented grass babbler
The rufous-vented grass babbler or rufous-vented prinia (''Laticilla burnesii'') is a small warbler in the family Pellorneidae that occurs in Pakistan, northwestern India and Nepal.
Taxonomy
The rufous-vented grass babbler was Species description ...