Burmese Prinia
Prinia cooki
A dull and poorly marked prinia with a strong bill and a long, graduated tail. Light brown above with faint dark streaking. Pale below, sometimes with some dark smudging along the sides of the breast. In some areas, breeding males become darker on the face and the bill becomes black. Found at low and moderate elevations in open dry forest, shrubby grasslands, and forest or agricultural edges. Can be retiring and difficult to see in dense vegetation. Sings two different song types: a dry rolling trill and a repeated two-syllabled “tulip.” Separated from most other prinias by its plainness and lack of contrasting head markings. Most similar to Himalayan Prinia, but there is little or no overlap in range, and Burmese Prinia is distinguished by having less streaking overall, especially along the sides of the breast.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Prinia cooki
- Authority
- (Harington, 1913)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Prinia
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Dicrurus annectens
Large dark drongo of open forested environments. Glossy black with a characteristically forked tail. Immature speckled with grayish-white on lower breast and belly. Thick dark bill gives a generally heavier-headed appearance than other similar dark drongos such as Black Drongo, with which it shares parts of its range; also prefers more forested environments than the latter. Aggressive and territorial, particularly during the breeding season, frequently mobbing raptors and corvids with great vigor. Like other drongos, boasts a varied repertoire; songs include a ringing “tsee-goo-gohgee!” Calls include bell-like gurgling notes, harsh chattering, and piercing whistles.
Spot-breasted Ibis
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Small, dark, forest-dwelling ibis. Note the blue bare skin on the face and the heavily spotted breast and neck. Found in the understory of moist rainforest. Very shy and generally scarce bird. The vocalization is a honking, two-parted goose-like call. Similar to Olive Ibis, but smaller and slimmer, with heavy spotting, blue facial skin, and a different call. Somewhat like Hadada Ibis, but much smaller, and found in forest rather than more open habitats.
Gray-fronted Green-Pigeon
Treron affinis
Beautifully-colored pigeon of peninsular India’s lowland and hill forests. Male has a deep velvet-red back and gray-blue crown. Female has an olive-green back and a more restricted crown patch. Song is odd and un-pigeonlike: a long ascending note followed by high undulating squeaking and bubbling noises, somewhat resembling the tuning of an old radio.
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