Welcome!

Ashy Prinia are small sparrow-sized birds resident in our city. They are majorly grayish-looking, have some brown shades on their wings with creamish underparts, have red eyes and tails that are as long as their main body, and have a solid black beak and gape!

Being the resident birds, it is not hard to find them. They can be seen in gardens and grasslands, busily hopping in the bushes and between other undergrowth, foraging for small insects, making soft click sounds as they move. They act restless, continuously hopping and twitching sideways when sitting, likely looking for food and gauging their surroundings for the lurking danger. They like to hold their tails upright at times.

Their nesting season falls between March to September. Given the approaching monsoon, their mating calls are at their peak now, and it's likely you have heard their loud, metallic taaw-taaws in the mornings.

For foraging and nesting, they need lush undergrowth, with thick shrubs and bushes. As they are small birds, nesting close to the ground, there is always the threat of predators. If we can keep the grasslands and wetlands in our neighborhoods clean and lush, they will likely thrive better, foraging insects from our gardens too, helping us maintain a clean garden.