Swamp Prinia

About the Swamp Prinia

The swamp grass babbler or swamp prinia (Laticilla cinerascens) is a small bird of the Indian subcontinent. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of the rufous-vented grass babbler. The swamp grass babbler occurs in the plains of the Brahmaputra and the Cachar district in the state of Assam, India, and in nearby parts of northern Bangladesh. It lives in a variety of habitats with tall grasses or brushes, notably plains of sarkhan (Saccharum) with or without scattered acacias and tamarisks, but also plains of elephant grass and ekra grass, and even deserts with scattered patches of tall grass, and reedbeds. It prefers areas near large rivers or swamps.

Swamp grass babblers average 17 cm (6.7 in) long (big for a prinia). Adults are olive-grey above, slightly warmer on the back of the neck and upper back, but less distinctly collared than the rufous-vented grass babbler. Bold dark streaking starts at the forehead and fades on the back. The underparts are greyish white, greyer on the flanks, which may be slightly streaked. There is a faint buff tint to the undertail coverts (but not the distinctive colouring for which the rufous... Wikipedia →