Plain Prinia

The plain prinia, or plain wren-warbler, is a small warbler 13–14cm long with short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. In breeding plumage it is grey-brown above with a short white eyebrow and rufous fringes to the closed wings, and whitish-buff below. In winter it is warmer brown above and buffer below, with a longer tail. The sexes are identical, and races differ in shade. It was formerly included in the African tawny-flanked prinia (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a skulking bird of wet lowland grassland, open woodland, scrub and sometimes gardens. It is insectivorous, nests in a shrub or tall grass and lays three to six eggs. Its song is a repetitive tlee-tlee-tlee. In India it is resident across a very large range; SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term increase of about 106% with a stable current trend, and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).