Black-throated Prinia (Prinia atrogularis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Black-throated Prinia

Prinia atrogularis (Moore, F, 1854)

≈13 cmLength12 gWeight

It constantly wags its long tail while foraging, and its throat turns black in the breeding season.

Busiest months: April · Most records: Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Very long tail, up to 10 cm
  2. Black throat and black breast patches in the breeding season
  3. White throat in the non-breeding season

Male, female and young

The sexes are similar in appearance, but the male is slightly larger with a proportionately longer tail.

Where and when it's recorded

Black-throated Prinia has been recorded at 36 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Yongkhola campBhutan66 records
  2. Tsamang RoadBhutan51 records
  3. Mount VictoriaMyanmar (Burma)30 records
More places
  1. Natma Taung NP – Mount VictoriaMyanmar (Burma)26 records
  2. Natma Taung NP – Mount VictoriaMyanmar (Burma)23 records
  3. Tingtibi campBhutan19 records
  4. Natmataung NPMyanmar (Burma)18 records
  5. MorongBhutan17 records
  6. Lingmethang Rd – Namling mid-elevation forestBhutan16 records
  7. TrongsaBhutan13 records

Countries and regions with the most records

BhutanMyanmar (Burma)ChinaIndia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-throated prinia (Prinia atrogularis) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in the eastern Himalayas from eastern Nepal through northern India, Bhutan and southwestern China.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black-throated Prinia?

The Black-throated Prinia is about ≈13 cm long and weighs around 12 g.

Where does the Black-throated Prinia live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is most often recorded in Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and China.

When is the best time to see the Black-throated Prinia?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-throated Prinia endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-throated Prinia as Least Concern.

What does the Black-throated Prinia eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Black-throated Prinia in?

It belongs to the family Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈13 cm
Weight
12 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
48 mm
Tail
93 mm
Bill
13 mm
Tarsus
18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: eastern Himalayas and southwestern China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Cisticolas & Allies Cisticolidae
Genus
Prinia

Other birds in the genus Prinia

Himalayan PriniaHimalayan PriniaPrinia crinigeraStriped PriniaStriped PriniaPrinia striataBrown PriniaBrown PriniaPrinia polychroaBurmese PriniaBurmese PriniaPrinia cookiAnnam PriniaAnnam PriniaPrinia rockiRufous-crowned PriniaRufous-crowned PriniaPrinia khasianaHill PriniaHill PriniaPrinia superciliarisGrey-crowned PriniaGrey-crowned PriniaPrinia cinereocapillaRufous-fronted PriniaRufous-fronted PriniaPrinia buchananiRufescent PriniaRufescent PriniaPrinia rufescensGrey-breasted PriniaGrey-breasted PriniaPrinia hodgsoniiGraceful PriniaGraceful PriniaPrinia gracilis
Black-throated Prinia

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Anirudh Singh. ↗

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