Ashy Prinia

Taxobox
name = Ashy Prinia
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
status_ref = [IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=52359|title=Prinia socialis|downloaded=12 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern]


image_width = 200px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Cisticolidae
genus = "Prinia "
species = "P. socialis"
binomial = "Prinia socialis"
binomial_authority = (Sykes, 1832)
synonyms = "Burnesia socialis"
range_

The Ashy Prinia or Ashy Wren-Warblercite book
title = Photographic guide to birds of India
last = Grewal
first = Bikram
authorlink = Bikram Grewal
coauthors = Bill Harvey and Otto Pfister
publisher = Periplus editions / Princeton University Press
address = Hong Kong
year = 2002 p. 85] ("Prinia socialis"), is a small warbler. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, western Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Description

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 ash grey above, with no supercilium and a black eye stripe. Underparts are whitish washed with yellow on the flanks. The sexes are identical except that the male has a blacker bill and mouth in the breeding season.

In winter, the northwestern subspecies, " P. s. stewartii", has warm brown upperparts. The other two races retain summer plumage all year round. The distinctive endemic race in Sri Lanka, " P. s. brevicauda", has a shorter tail is and longer bill.

Habits

This passerine bird is found in dry open grassland, open woodland, scrub and in gardens in many cities.

Like most warblers, the Ashy Prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive "tchup, tchup, tchup" or "zeet-zeet-zeet". It also makes a sound like "electric sparks" which is believed to be produced by the wings or possibly the beak. [Uttangi, J. C. (1991) "Electric sparks" from Ashy Wren Warbler. Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 31(7&8):14.] Rasmussen, P. C. & J. Anderton 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions.] quote
It is most easily distinguished by the loud snapping noise it makes during flight. How this noise is produced we do not know for certain. Reid was of opinion that the bird snapped its long tail. What exactly this means I do not know. Jesse believes that the sound is produced by the bird's mandibles. I have spent much time in watching the bird, and am inclined to think that the noise is caused by the beating of the wings against the tail. This last is constantly being wagged and jerked, and it seems to me that the wings beat against it as the bird flits about. When doves and pigeons fly, their wings frequently meet, causing a flapping sound. I am of opinion that something similar occurs when the ashy wren-warbler takes to its wings.|Douglas Dewar [Dewar, Douglas. 1908. Birds of the Plains. p. 222]

Breeding

The Ashy Prinia builds its nest close to the ground in a shrub or tall grass and lays 3-5 eggs. The nest consists of leaves stitched together with webs and hair with the entrance towards the side. The eggs are of a somewhat pointed oval form and exceedingly glossy. They vary from brick-red to rich chestnut in colour, some being paler, some darker. The broad end of the egg is generally darker than the remainder of the shell, and exhibits a cap or zone. The eggs measure from 0.6 to 0.68 inches length, and from 0.45 to 0.5 in breadth.Oates, E. W. 1905. Catalogue of the collection of birds' eggs in the British Museum. British Museum.]

The breeding season varies with locality and has been recorded breeding around the year. In north India it is mainly June to September in Sri Lanka mainly December to March or August to October. Breeds during May-June in the Nilgiris. The species is believed to be monogamous and both the male and the female take part in incubation and feeding though to varying extents. [Karthikeyan, S (1993) Monogamy in Ashywren Warbler "Prinia socialis": How much do sexes share domestic duties. In: Bird Conservation: Strategies for the Nineties and Beyond. (Eds: Verghese,A; Sridhar,S; Chakravarthy,AK) Ornithological Society of India, Bangalore, 200-201.]

Gallery

Cited references

Other References

* "Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa" by Baker, ISBN 0-7136-3971-7
* "Birds of India" by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
*Hemanth, J. (1990) On the roosting of the Ashy Wren-Warbler. Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 30(5-6):15.
*Bhambral, R. (1966) Dog's hair used for nest by Ashy Wren Warblers. Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 6(8):7.
*Wesley, H. D. (1994) Nest-temperature regulation during incubation in Ashy Wren-Warbler. Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 34(2):29-31.
*Ramanan, R. V. (1995) The nest of Ashy Wren Warbler "Prinia socialis". Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 35(1):17.
*Jairamdas, Arjun (1977) Three nests of Ashy Wren Warbler - diary of one season. Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 17(2):4-6.
*George,J. C. (1962) Nest-shifting behaviour of the Ashy Wren-Warbler (reproduced from 'The Auk' 78:435-6, July 1961). Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 2(10):6-7.
*Desai, R. N. (1993) Atmospheric temperature and the incubation pattern in the Ashy Wren-Warbler "Prinia socialis". In: Bird Conservation: Strategies for the Nineties and Beyond. (Eds: Verghese,A; Sridhar,S; Chakravarthy,AK) Ornithological Society of India, Bangalore, 176.
*Subramanya, S.; Veeresh, G. K. (1998) Nesting of two insectivorous birds in the rice fields of Bangalore. Chap. 4. In: Birds in Agricultural Ecosystem. (Eds: Dhindsa,MS; Rao,P Syamsunder; Parasharya,BM) Society for Applied Ornithology, Hyderabad, 10-17.
*Ajmeri, R. M. ; Das, A. R. K. ; Sasikumar, M. (1961) An unusual nest of the Ashy Wren-warbler ("Prinia socialis"). Newsl. for Birdwatchers. 1(4):1.