Black-chested prinia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-chested prinia |
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_breeding_female.jpg) |
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| Breeding female, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Prinia
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| Species: |
flavicans
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The black-chested prinia (Prinia flavicans) is a small, active bird found in parts of southern Africa. It belongs to the Cisticolidae family, which includes many small warblers. You can spot these birds in dry savanna areas across countries like South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia.
Prinias are known for their long tails, which they often hold almost straight up. Unlike many birds, male and female black-chested prinias look very similar. There are four types of Prinia birds in southern Africa. These include the tawny-flanked prinia, Karoo prinia, and Drakensberg prinia. The black-chested prinia is special because it's the only one that changes its look between breeding and non-breeding seasons. It gets its name from the dark band on its chest, which appears when it's ready to breed.
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What Does the Black-chested Prinia Look Like?
How Big Are They?
Black-chested prinias are small birds, usually about 13 to 15 centimeters long. That's about the length of a pen! They have long tails that help them balance.
Their Changing Colors
During the non-breeding season, these birds have a pale golden-brown back. Their underside is a light yellow. But when it's time to breed, they get a cool black band across their chest. Their belly feathers also turn white or a brighter yellow.
What Sounds Do They Make?
Black-chested prinias are quite noisy! They often make a loud, repeated "chip-chip-chip" sound. They also have a buzzing call that sounds like "zrrrt-zrrrt-zrrrt."
Where Do Black-chested Prinias Live?
These birds mostly live in the southern African thornbelt. They are most common in the Kalahari Basin. Here, you might find about one bird per 0.7 hectares of land. Their home has three main seasons:
- September to October: A very hot and dry spring.
- November to May: A hot and wet summer.
- June to August: A cold and dry winter.
Black-chested prinias like areas with Acacia trees. They also use Olea-Buddleia plants for nesting and finding food. These plants grow in grassy areas.
How Do Black-chested Prinias Behave?
What Do They Eat?
Like other prinias, these birds mainly eat insects. One study found that small beetles make up a big part of their diet. They also eat beetle and weevil larvae, and adult flies. Sometimes, they eat plant parts like seeds, leaves, and berries. In winter, they have even been seen poking into unopened Aloe marlothii flowers to find food.
How Do They Raise Their Young?
Black-chested prinias usually breed in the summer. However, their breeding can be a bit unpredictable. It depends a lot on when the rains come. If there are unexpected rains in the non-breeding season, they might even breed in winter!
Sometimes, another bird called the parasitic weaver lays its eggs in the prinia's nest. The black-chested prinia parents then raise these weaver chicks as their own. Usually, one or two weaver chicks are found in a prinia nest.
Do They Move Around?
Black-chested prinias are not known to migrate long distances. But they might move around locally. If there's a serious drought, they might travel to new areas to find food and water. This helps them survive tough times. Sometimes, their numbers go down in certain areas during different seasons.
How Do They Change Feathers?
Black-chested prinias have a special way of changing their feathers. They replace all their feathers, including their flight feathers, twice a year! This is quite rare for small songbirds.
Their spring feather change happens from September to November and takes about 10 weeks. The autumn feather change is longer, lasting about 15 weeks, from February to June. This happens because they need to adapt to different seasons. For example, new feathers help them stay warm or cool, and also help them blend in with their surroundings.
Sometimes, their feather change overlaps with their breeding season. If this happens in autumn, they might grow their breeding feathers (with the black chest band) even though the non-breeding season is coming soon.
