Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Range, habitat, and status  





2 Description  





3 Behavior  





4 Classification  





5 References  














Swamp grass babbler






Català
Cebuano

Español
Euskara
فارسی
Magyar
Nederlands

Svenska
Українська
Tiếng Vit
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikispecies
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Swamp grass babbler

Conservation status


Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pellorneidae
Genus: Laticilla
Species:
L. cinerascens
Binomial name
Laticilla cinerascens

(Walden, 1874)

The swamp grass babblerorswamp prinia (Laticilla cinerascens) is a small bird of the Indian subcontinent. Some authorities consider it a subspecies of the rufous-vented grass babbler.

Range, habitat, and status[edit]

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.[2]

Description[edit]

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-vented prinia is named). The upper surface of the wings has barring formed by the covert feathers and their paler fringes. The wing linings are a faintly tawny off-white. The flight feathers of the wings are greyish brown; when the wing is folded, the primaries barely extend beyond the tertials. Those of the tail may be greyish or olive-brown and have tawny tips. The tail is long and strongly graduated, that is, the outermost pair of feathers is only one-third as long as the central pair. The head shows a conspicuous white eye-ring, whitish lores, and dark-streaked whitish cheeks.[2]

The upper mandible is horn-brown; the lower, straw-brown or flesh-brown. The eyes are brown, varying a little in lightness. The legs are flesh-colored or pale brown.[2]

From July to September the plumage is worn, especially the tail, which may be much shorter than in fresh plumage and missing the tawny tips. The moult is usually complete by October.[2]

Juveniles are similar but have loose, fluffy plumage. They have little or no streaking on the back and their tail tips are rufous, not tawny. They molt into adult head and body plumage, retaining their flight feathers, about 4 to 6 weeks after fledging.[2]

Calls include "a wheezy feez, and a quiet, very rapid nasal rattle." The song is described as a warble about 4 seconds long, liquid and loud, comparable to that of a dunnock.[2]

Behavior[edit]

Like the rufous-vented grass babbler, this species skulks low in grass tussocks, hopping and threading its way through, often in small groups, feeding on insects. It usually holds its tail slightly cocked. When it flies, something that is hard to cause, it goes only to a nearby tussock. It is easiest to find in the breeding season, when it sings in the mornings and evenings.[2]

Classification[edit]

Some authorities lump it as a subspecies, L. burnesii cinerascens, of the rufous-vented grass babbler.[2][1][3] Here it is treated as a separate species following the Handbook of the Birds of the World[4] and Clements.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2017). "Laticilla cinerascens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22735351A111366336. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22735351A111366336.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  • ^ a b c d e f g h Baker, Kevin; Baker, Jeff (1997), Warblers of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, Christopher Helm, pp. 62–63, 220–221, ISBN 0-691-01169-9.
  • ^ Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol; Inskipp, Tim (1999), Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Princeton University Press, pp. 278–279, ISBN 978-0-691-04910-6
  • ^ del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (2006), Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, ISBN 84-87334-15-6
  • ^ Clements, James F. (2007), The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World (Sixth ed.), Cornell University Press, ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9, according to Lepage, Denis (2003–2007), Avibase - the world bird database, retrieved 2007-10-13

  • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swamp_grass_babbler&oldid=1127070627"

    Categories: 
    IUCN Red List endangered species
    Laticilla
    Birds of Northeast India
    Birds described in 1874
    Taxa named by Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
    Hidden categories: 
    Articles with short description
    Short description matches Wikidata
    Articles with 'species' microformats
    Taxonbars desynced from Wikidata
    Taxonbars with automatically added original combinations
     



    This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 18:56 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki