Ashy Prinia
Prinia socialis socialis
All over India
Although I have seen the Ashy Prinia in a lot of locations across India I will start with where I got the best photos in my opinion - the Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary. The part of the sanctuary I frequent is near Gottamgotta and the backwaters of the beautiful Chandrampally Dam. In summer, when the waters of the dam recede, a large piece of land at the bottom end of the dam is exposed. This creates for some amazing frames as the distant waters of the lake form the backdrop creating an almost perfect background to the images. This is also very close to where I documented the Indian Nightjar.
When you reach the bottom of the ravine, if you look towards the dam, a beautiful frame with the dried foliage sticking up for the birds to perch is apparent. I have also seen the Long-tailed Shrike here among numerous other birds. This is a haven for birds and wildlife as there is minimal human disturbance.
Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary & Gottamgutta
The Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary is the first dry land Wildlife Sanctuary in South India and was declared a sanctuary in 2011 extending over 134.88 km². This is the only area in the Hyderabad - Karnataka Region with rich floral biodiversity. Apart from medicinal herbs and trees, species like the Red Sanders and Sandalwood are found abundantly. The Sanctuary has good dry deciduous and moist deciduous forest in the core with Acacia and Teak plantations on the fringes. Apart from the Chandrampally dam, four small dams exist at its Centre. The forest is also home to fauna like the Black Buck, Common Fox, Four-horned Antelope, Fruit bat, Hyena, Indian Wolf etc. Over 35 species of birds, including Black Drongo, Black-winged Kite, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Blue pigeon, Black-headed Oriole and Grey partridge are also found. Chincholi is also home to the Lambani Tandas, a protected tribal community that lives locally in the forests in harmony with nature.
I had the opportunity to work with the Forest Range officer stationed here at the time and was able to document almost 35 species of birds within a few hours.
Gottamgutta or Gottamgota is located at a distance of 25 kms from Zaheerabad and 7 KMs from Chandrampalli. Ideally located at the foot of the Chandrampally reservoir on the River Bhima, it provides a fantastic habitat for wildlife to thrive and prosper. The River Bhima (also known as the Chandrabhaga River) is the largest tributary of the Krishna River and a major river in Western and South India. It flows southeast for 861 kilometres through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana states, before finally merging into the Krishna River. It originates near Bhimashankar Temple in the Bhimashankar hills on the western side of the Western Ghats in the Pune District of Maharashtra. After the first sixty-five kilometers gushing through a narrow valley and rugged terrain, the banks open up and form a fertile agricultural area which is densely populated. It merges into the Krishna River in Karnataka’s Raichur district. Gottamgutta is 135 km from Hyderabad and is ideal for wildlife enthusiasts looking for a weekend drive. Surrounded by lush forests, the hills by the reservoir offer stunning views. The sunlight and moonlight make the water sparkle continuously. Additionally, there is a beautiful waterfall and some ancient temples to explore.
The 861 km-long Bhima river is bounded on the west by the stunning Western Ghats, to the north lies the Balaghat Range, and to the south lie the Mahadeo Hills. The total basin area of the river is 48,631 km², of which 75% lies in the state of Maharashtra. Its water level is prone to monsoonal changes, flooding in August following the rains and almost stagnant between March and April. Receding floodwaters leave rich alluvial terraces that form fertile farming belts. Local irrigation works augment the scant supply of rainfall; major crops are jowar (grain sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), and oilseeds. Sugarcane is an important irrigated cash crop. River Bhima’s major tributaries are the Indrayani River, Mula River, Mutha River, and Pavana River. Pandharpur, an important pilgrimage centre, is located on the right bank of the Bhima. The river is also referred to as Chandrabhaga River, especially at Pandharpur, as it resembles the shape of the Moon.
Till the time I wrote this piece and started looking at the geo tags of my photos and videos I had not realised how much I have photographed and filmed along the River Bhima! And this is just one large tributary of one major river flowing across three states. This illustrates how rich and diverse the biodiversity of India is. Imagine having a record like this for all rivers and their tributaries for the country.
‡‡‡‡‡
For a print of the beautiful birds from the Dois click on the button below to read my process and order a limited edition canvas.
‡‡‡‡‡
Ashy Prinia/ Ashy Wren-warbler
The Ashy Prinia/ Ashy Wren-warbler is a common prinia that is likely to occur in all habitats except for woodlands with a thick canopy. All birds have a black bill, pale cinnamon underparts, a gray head, and a grayish-brown back. Nonbreeding birds acquire a short eyebrow and a longer tail. There is a marked variation in plumage tones in various parts of its range. It usually sticks to the undergrowth and shrubbery, though individuals often sing from a higher perch such as wires. The Ashy Prinia are usually seen in ones and twos, and can be quite bold and fearless. They have a loud ringing song that is given year-round and a plain nasal call. If there is a Lantana bush or a similar shrub in the neighbourhood, it is quite likely to catch a glimpse of this small urban-garden bird. The Ashy Prinia thrives in varied habitats, including urban settlements and it is endemic (only found) to the Indian subcontinent.
The Ashy Prinia or Ashy Wren-warbler (Prinia socialis) is a small warbler in the family Cisticolidae. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, ranging across most of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, eastern Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and western Myanmar. It is a common bird in urban gardens and farmlands in many parts of India and its small size, distinctive colours and upright tail make it easy to identify. The northern populations have a rufous rump and back and have a distinct breeding and non-breeding plumage while other populations lack such variation.
These 13–14 cm long warblers have short rounded wings and a longish graduated cream tail tipped with black subterminal spots. The tail is usually held upright and the strong legs are used for clambering about and hopping on the ground. They have a short black bill. The crown is grey and the underparts are rufous in most plumages. In breeding plumage, adults of the northern population are ash grey above, with a black crown and cheek with no supercilium and coppery brown wings. In non-breeding season, this population has a short and narrow white supercilium and the tail is longer. They are found singly or in pairs in shrubbery and will often visit the ground.
In winter, the northern subspecies, Prinia socialis stewartii (Blyth, 1847), has warm brown upperparts and a longer tail and has seasonal variation in plumage. The other races retain summer plumage all year round. West Bengal and eastwards has the race Prinia socialis inglisi (Whistler & Kinnear, 1933), which is slatier above than the nominate race of the Peninsula and deeper rufous on the flanks with a finer and shorter beak. The distinctive endemic race in Sri Lanka, Prinia socialis brevicauda (Legge, 1879), has a shorter tail and the juveniles have yellowish underparts apart from a distinct call.
The genus was erected by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield in 1821. The type species is the bar-winged prinia (Prinia familiaris). The name of the genus is derived from the Javanese prinya, the local name for the bar-winged prinia. A molecular phylogenetic study of the Cisticolidae published in 2013 found that the rufous-vented grass babbler did not lie within the clade containing the other prinias. Based on this analysis the rufous-vented prinia and the closely related swamp grass babbler were moved to the reinstated genus Laticilla in the family Pellorneidae.
The genus contains 30 species:
Himalayan prinia (Prinia crinigera) – formerly striated prinia
Striped prinia (Prinia striata) – split from P. crinigera
Brown prinia (Prinia polychroa)
Burmese prinia (Prinia cooki) – split from P. polychroa
Annam prinia (Prinia rocki) – split from P. polychroa
Black-throated prinia (Prinia atrogularis)
Rufous-crowned prinia (Prinia khasiana)
Hill prinia (Prinia superciliaris)
Grey-crowned prinia (Prinia cinereocapilla)
Rufous-fronted prinia (Prinia Buchanan)
Rufescent prinia (Prinia rufescens)
Grey-breasted prinia (Prinia hodgsonii)
Graceful prinia (Prinia gracilis)
Delicate prinia (Prinia lepida)
Jungle prinia (Prinia sylvatica)
Bar-winged prinia (Prinia familiaris)
Yellow-bellied prinia (Prinia flaviventris)
Ashy prinia (Prinia socialis)
Tawny-flanked prinia (Prinia subflava)
Plain prinia (Prinia inornata)
Pale prinia (Prinia somalica)
River prinia (Prinia fluviatilis)
Black-chested prinia (Prinia flavicans)
Karoo prinia (Prinia maculosa)
Drakensberg prinia (Prinia hypoxantha)
São Tomé prinia (Prinia molleri)
Banded prinia (Prinia bairdii)
Black-faced prinia (Prinia melanops) – usually considered as a subspecies of P. bairdii
Red-winged prinia (Prinia erythroptera)
Red-fronted prinia (Prinia rufifrons)
Species formerly in Prinia but now moved to Laticilla in family Pellorneidae:
Rufous-vented grass babbler (Laticilla burnesii)
Swamp grass babbler (Laticilla cinerascens)
This passerine bird is found in dry open grassland, open woodland, scrub and in home gardens in many cities. The northern limits of the species are along the Himalayan foothills extending into the upper Indus river system. The species is absent from the dry desert zone of the west of India and extends east into Burma. The Sri Lankan population is found mainly in the lowlands but going up into the hills to about 1600 m.
Like most warblers, the Ashy Prinia is insectivorous. Their song is a repetitive tchup, tchup, tchup or zeet-zeet-zeet. Another call is a nasal tee-tee-tee. It also makes a sound like "electric sparks" during its fluttery flight, which is thought to be produced by the wings, although one author suggests that it is made by the beak.
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
The non-migratory genus Prinia shows biannual moult, which is rare among passerines. One moult occurs in spring (April to May) and another moult occurs in autumn (October to November). Biannual moult is theorised to be favoured when ectoparasite loads are very high; however, no investigations have been made. Prinia socialis moults some remiges twice a year and is termed to have a partially biannual moult; however, some authors describe Prinia socialis socialis as having two complete moults.
Birds stay in pairs but roost singly on the branch of a small tree or shrub. Four subspecies are recognised:
Prinia socialis stewarti - Distributed across NE Pakistan (E from upper Indus Valley), N and W India (E to S Bihar, S to N Madhya Pradesh) and Nepal.
Prinia socialis inglisi - Distributed across NE India (N West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), Bhutan and NE Bangladesh.
Prinia socialis socialis - Distributed across peninsular India (S from S Bihar and S Madhya Pradesh). [Featured here]
Prinia socialis brevicauda - Distributed in Sri Lanka.
The song is sung from the top of a bush and males make fluttery display flights with the tail held up. The ashy prinia builds its nest close to the ground in a shrub or tall grass. Several types of nests have been described, including a flimsy cup made by sewing several large leaves, an oblong purse-like structure with grass stems inside it, and a flimsy ball of grass. The usual nest is built low in a bush and consists of leaves stitched together with webs, lined with hair and having an entrance on the side. It lays 3 to 5 glossy, somewhat oval-shaped eggs which hatches in about 12 days. They vary in colour from brick-red to rich chestnut. The broad end of the egg is generally darker than the remainder of the shell, and exhibits a cap or zone. The eggs measure 15 to 17 mm in length, and 11 to 13 mm in breadth.
The breeding season varies with locality and has been recorded around the year, but mostly after the monsoons. In northern India it is mainly June to September and in Sri Lanka mainly December to March or August to October. Breeding season is during May to 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. Parents may spend more time at the nest during cool days. Plaintive and grey-bellied cuckoos are known to be brood parasites of this species. When the nest is threatened by predators such as cats, adults have been observed feigning injury.
Rare cases of birds reusing material from a nest to build a nest at a new location have been noted.
The Ashy Prinia is not globally threatened and is classified as Least Concern. It is common over much of its extensive range and is one of the most familiar and widespread Indian birds, there being few bushy gardens within its range where this attractive prinia is not encountered. It has clearly adapted to living alongside humans, which will no doubt ensure its continued survival in the foreseeable future.
‡‡‡‡‡
Related Posts
