Rufous-fronted Prinia
Prinia buchanani
Sandy-colored warbler with a long tail. Note white underparts, pale eyebrow, and rufous-tinged forecrown. Social inhabitant of dry open areas with scattered vegetation, such as plains and hillsides. Darts furtively between clusters of cover. Twanging repetitive song is given from atop an exposed perch while tail-wagging.
Identification
The rufous-fronted prinia is a small stocky bird, generally 12 cm long and weighing between 5 and 6 grams. The upper parts are sandy color. The lower parts are off-white. The legs and toes are pink. Remiges and tail feathers are also sandy color. The underside of the tail is creamy white. The head is olive brown, and the bird has a pale eyebrow and a thin red eye circle. The beak is a classic insectivore, thin and slightly curved, and the eyes are reddish-orange.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Prinia buchanani
- Authority
- Blyth, 1844
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Prinia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The population is stable, it is considered by the IUCN as "least concern".
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Little Crake
Zapornia parva
Tiny, with long wings and a short greenish bill with a small red base. Face and underparts are plain slaty gray on male, and buffy to whitish on female and juvenile. Adults have plain flanks and boldly barred undertail coverts. Juvenile has barred flanks; compare to similar Baillon’s Crake. Breeds in freshwater wetlands with extensive emergent vegetation, and spends the non-breeding season in a wide range of marshy habitats. Often favors deeper-water aquatic plant stands than other rails and crakes, clambering about nimbly amongst the vegetation. Usually retiring and rarely seen, but can be confiding. Males give a long song that starts with a series of “qwek” notes that eventually accelerates and tapers off; females respond with a descending trill with a similar quality.
Chestnut-vented Nuthatch
Sitta nagaensis
Typical nuthatch; small bird with a wedge-shaped head, usually seen clambering around on trees. Gray above and white below, with a thin black line extending from the bill base to the shoulder. Deep rust red on the flanks and red-edged scaling under the tail serve to distinguish this otherwise plain species from similar nuthatches. Active and social, often following mixed flocks. Inhabits both broadleaf and coniferous forests in foothill and submontane areas. Listen for its song, a loud ringing series of trills. Calls include nasal caws, a bright-sounding “pewpewpew,” and high-pitched chittering.
Hartert's Camaroptera
Camaroptera harterti
A small, chunky, wren-like understory warbler that often leans forward and cocks its short tail. This species has brown eyes, olive-green wings and tail, and white underparts. Found in evergreen forest understory, plantation, and thickets along the Angolan escarpment. Usually in pairs, hopping about, often low to the ground, searching for small insects. The two common vocalizations are a nasal “meehrrp” alarm call and a strident repeated snapping “strik-strik-strik-strik-strik” song. Very similar to Green-backed Camaroptera, but tail is brighter green, rather than gray or gray-green, and underparts are cleaner white, rather than grayish, especially on the breast.
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