Red-fronted Prinia
Prinia rufifrons
A long-tailed, slim, distinctive warbler of dry country. Gray-brown on the upperparts and whitish below, with white marks on the wing and outer tail. The tail is frequently cocked up and wagged from side to side. Found in dry thorn savanna and thornscrub, usually in pairs. Similar in shape to other prinias, but easily separated by the red forehead. Could be mistaken for some cisticolas, but shows white in the wing, and distinctive tail-wagging behavior. Song consists of long series of a musical or scolding note, sometimes punctuated by short series of a different kind of note; can be similar to Pale Prinia’s song, but generally much more varied.
Taxonomy
The red-fronted prinia was described by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell in 1840 under the binomial name Prinia rufifrons. The type locality is Eritrea (the coastal region of Abyssinia). The specific epithet rufifrons comes from the Latin rufus for "red" and frons for "forehead" or "front".<p>There are three subspecies:<p>Many taxonomists place this species in the genus Prinia rather than in its own monotypic genus Urorhipis. Support for this alternative placement is provided by a molecular phylogenetic study of the Cisticolidae published in 2013 that found that the red-fronted warbler was closely related to the prinias.
- Scientific name
- Prinia rufifrons
- Authority
- Rüppell, 1840
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Prinia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dimorphic Fantail
Rhipidura brachyrhyncha
A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of montane forest and subalpine shrubs. Dull gray-brown underparts and head with contrasting rufous rump and dark wings. Two forms occur. One with a gray brown tail, the other with a dark tail with a broad rufous band on the end. Mixed pairs often occur. Forages fairly low with tail and wings spread. Similar to female Black Fantail, but Dimorphic has more gray-brown underparts and lacks the black central tail feathers. Song, a tuneless jumble of tinkling notes.
Pearly Antshrike
Megastictus margaritatus
Distinctive antshrike with bold wingbars and white spots on the wing coverts. Males are gray and females rusty-colored. Found in the understory of humid forest and old second growth, where it occasionally loosely accompanies mixed-species flocks. The song is a distinctive slow and somewhat rising series of whistles followed by harsher notes.
Mindanao Racquet-tail
Prioniturus waterstradti
A medium-sized parrot of montane forest on Mindanao. The two central tail feathers have extended shafts ending in a racket shape. Green overall, darker on the back and paler below, with deeper green on the head and a blue face. Occurs together with Mindanao Lorikeet, but is larger and lacks the red face and bill. Voice includes various nasal squeals and a harsh, metallic “ra-geek!” often in flight.
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