Rufous-Vented Grass Babbler

(Prinia burnesii)

Size: 16-17 cm

Area: Resident over much of the North except the Himalayas

Habitat: Wet Areas especially Riverside Reedbeds and Scrubland

Description: A rather shy bird, preferring dense vegetation.

Like most other Prinias, it has dull-brown upperparts and whitish underparts. Adults have a buffy tone to the back of their neck.

They have a white eye-ring and whitish cheeks.

They have distinctive dark streakings on their cheeks and all over the back of their head which continue till the upper back.

And of course, they have a rufous patch under their tail (vent)!

Compared to its cousins, this one is much more calm and is not always jumping around here and there in the dense vegetation.

Often seen solitary or in small groups scattered over a patch of land.

Food: The usual Prinia diet – Insects.

Call: Like other Prinias, its best located by its call. So, knowing its call is a crucial factor that could guarantee its presence. Its calls include a feez…feez, a liquid warble and a nasal rattle.

IUCN Status: Near Threatened

~Arjun Basandrai