Drakensberg Prinia

About the Drakensberg Prinia

The Drakensberg prinia or saffron-breasted prinia (Prinia hypoxantha) is a small passerine bird. It lives in eastern South Africa and Eswatini. It lives in the Drakensberg's forest edges, wooded gullies and bracken covered slopes. The Drakensberg prinia was formerly considered to be a subspecies P. m. hypoxantha of the Karoo prinia, P. maculosa.

The Drakensberg prinia is 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long, with short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short straight black bill. The head has a whitish eyebrow and the upperparts are otherwise brown. The throat and lower face are whitish with no streaking and the rest of the underparts are yellowish with dark streaking. The long tail has a dark spot near the end and is typically cocked up at an angle. The feet and legs are pinkish-brown, and the eye is pale.

The sexes are identical, but juveniles are paler below than the adults. The calls of this species include a sharp chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet, and a fast buzzy tit-tit-tit-tit-tit. The Drakensberg prinia can only be confused with the closely related Karoo prinia, but that species has less yellow underparts with heavier spotting. Wikipedia →