Prinia gracilis - Graceful Prinia
Feather characters. Barbules are rather short (0.66-0.74 mm) and divided into pigmented nodes and unpigmented internodes. Bell-shaped nodes are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules (40-44 per mm). They all are about the same size, slightly decreasing towards distal end. Villi are rounded and internodes are straight. Minute prongs are present on distal end of barbules and on both sides of the pennulum. Barbules have this typical structure for Passeriformes; pigmented, bell-shaped nodes combined with rounded villi.
Field characters. Size 10 cm. Weight 6.9 g (6.5-7.1) (Dunning, 1993). Small warbler with long tail, which is often held cocked. Upperparts grey-brown, streaked on head, nape, and mantle; underparts uniform greyish-white, flanks and undertail-coverts washed buff. Head pattern faint, with indistinct cream supercilium and eye-ring. Tail dark-brown, graduated; undersurface of feathers tipped black and white. Juvenile like adult, but streaking on upperparts less pronounced. More confined to vegetation than Scrub Warbler. Flight whirring and seldom over long distances.
Voice. Most common call 'breep', but also trills and ticking 'plit-plit'. Song repeated high-pitched 'zewit-zewit-zewit', or more rolling 'trirl-trirl-trirl'.
Distribution. Locally common resident of NE Africa and Middle East. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Areas with low vegetation, ranging from reed edges of marshes to sandy semi-desert; also in cultivation, like gardens or plantations. Nests in grass or low bush.
Food. Insects.