The Ashy Prinia, Prinia socialis, is a small warbler. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, western Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

This skulking passerine bird is typically found in dry open grassland, open woodland, scrub and sometimes gardens. Ashy Prinia builds its nest in a shrub or tall grass and lays 3-5 eggs.

These 13-14 cm long warblers have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. In breeding plumage, adults are ash grey above, with no supercilium and a black eye stripe. Underparts are whitish washed with yellow on the flanks. The sexes are identical except that the male has a blacker bill and mouth in the breeding season.

In winter, the northwestern subspecies, P. s.stewartii, has warm brown upperparts. The other two races retain summer plumage all year round. The distinctive endemic race in Sri Lanka, P. s.brevicauda, has a shorter tail is and longer bill.

Like most warblers, Ashy Prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive tchup, tchup, tchup.

Reference

• Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa by Baker, ISBN 0-7136-3971-7
• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6