Graceful Prinia
Prinia gracilis (Lichtenstein, 1823)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The graceful prinia (Prinia gracilis) is a small warbler (in some older works it is referred to as graceful warbler). This prinia is a resident breeder in northeastern Africa (the Nile valley in particular) and southern Asia, from Egypt and Somalia east to Saudi Arabia, where it is sometimes called streaked wren-warbler. This active passerine bird is typically found in shrub or tall grass in a variety of habitats with thick undergrowth, tamarisks or similar cover. Graceful prinia builds its nest in a bush or grass and lays 3 to 5 eggs. These 10–11 cm long warblers have short rounded wings, and a long tapering tail with each feather tipped with black and white. In breeding plumage, adults are grey-brown above, with dark streaking. The underparts are whitish with buff flanks, and the bill is short and black. The sexes are similar. In winter, adults are brighter sandy brown above with weaker streaking, there is more buff on the sides, and the bill is paler. There are 7 subspecies.
Wikipedia contributors, Graceful prinia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:45:08.400155+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Prinia gracilis (Lichtenstein, 1823)
- Name authority
- (Lichtenstein, 1823)
- Common name
- Graceful Prinia
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Prinia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCisticolidae Sundevall, 1872
- genusPrinia Horsfield, 1821
- speciesPrinia gracilis (Lichtenstein, 1823)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Prinia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Grey-crowned PriniaPrinia cinereocapilla Moore, 1854 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Prinia crinigera Hodgson, 1836 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-chested PriniaPrinia flavicans (Vieillot, 1821) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-bellied PriniaPrinia flaviventris (Delessert, 1840) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-breasted PriniaPrinia hodgsonii Blyth, 1844 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plain PriniaPrinia inornata Sykes, 1832 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Karoo PriniaPrinia maculosa (Boddaert, 1783) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-faced PriniaPrinia melanops (Reichenow & Neumann, 1895) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufescent PriniaPrinia rufescens Blyth, 1847 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny-flanked PriniaPrinia subflava (Gmelin, 1789) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jungle PriniaPrinia sylvatica Jerdon, 1840 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sao Tome PriniaPrinia molleri Bocage, 1887 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=562441 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4MDWL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.