Karoo Prinia
A species of True Prinias Scientific name : Prinia maculosa Genus : True Prinias
Karoo Prinia, A species of True Prinias
Botanical name: Prinia maculosa
Genus: True Prinias
Content
Description General Info
Description
The Karoo prinia is 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 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 dark streaking and the rest of the underparts are yellowish white or yellow with distinct black 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 dark brown. The sexes are identical, but juveniles are much yellower below than the adults and less heavily streaked. The calls of this species include a sharp chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet, and a fast buzzy tit-tit-tit-tit-tit. The Karoo prinia can only be confused with the closely related Drakensberg prinia, but has less yellow underparts with heavier spotting than that species. 
Size
13 cm
Nest Placement
Shrub
Feeding Habits
Karoo Prinia primarily consumes small invertebrates, such as katydids, grasshoppers, termites, ants, caterpillars, beetles, and flies. Occasionally, karoo Prinia eats lizards. They forage alone, in pairs, or families, searching vegetation low to the ground and air-hawking insects.
Habitat
Karoo Prinia typically reside in Mediterranean-type shrublands, including fynbos, renosterveld, coastal thickets, and forest edges. Their preferred environments are characterized by karoo scrub and acacia woodlands, often found along drainage lines in arid regions. Karoo Prinia are also adaptable to human-modified landscapes such as gardens, stands of alien shrubs, and unmanaged fields. Occasionally, they explore sandy coastal areas with an abundance of kelp flies.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
The Karoo prinia builds a thin-walled oval nest with a side entrance from green grass. It is well hidden deep inside a leafy shrub or bush. Breeding is from August to September in areas with winter rainfall, but later (up to December) elsewhere. The Karoo prinia is usually seen in pairs or small groups, typically low in scrub, but sometimes perching on the top of a bush. It actively forages for small insects, with tail cocked and frequently swung side-to-side.
Species Status
This common species has a large range, with an estimated extent of 670,000 km². The population size is believed to be large, and the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Cisticolas and allies Genus
True Prinias Species
Karoo Prinia 
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