Ashy Prinia – The Ashy Wren Warbler

Eleven species of Prinia are found in India, but this write-up focuses on the  species most commonly found in cities and human-dominated habitats , Ashy Prinia.  It is a common inhabitant of gardens and backyards. The Ashy Prinia is a small sociable bird that’s easy to spot.  Prinias are sometimes called long tail warblers or wren-warblers, from their long, graduated tails, which are carried, wren-like, cocked up.

Unlike many small, shy birds, the Ashy Prinia is happy to show itself, so non-birdwatchers can spot it easily. The males and females look similar and the birds are often found in pairs rather than flocks.

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The bird is a small passerine (birds having feet adapted for perching) that has a slightly-curved black bill (beak), ideal to ferret out larvae and insects from crevices. The bird is fast and has jerky reflexes, catching insects in mid air – a difficult task considering their zigzag flying pattern.  The Ashy Prinia has a black bill, an ashy-coloured head, greyish-brown back and buff-orange under parts. It has an upright tail (with white edges), red eyes, and often a short white eyebrow (called super-cilium in the birding world, though this may not always be present in all birds).

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A mysterious sound that most Prinias (other species as well) make are a sort of clapping frap-frap sound, when in flight.  In many species, the wings make a snapping sound in flight, described by Salim Ali as sounding like electric sparks.

Ashy Prinias also stitch leaves together (to resemble a small bag) with silk from spider webs, and often line these nests with grass strands, leaving a small entrance on one side for the adults to enter and exit.