Himalayan Prinia

The Himalayan prinia is a bird of the family Cisticolidae found in the Indian subcontinent and parts of China, its range generally following the Himalaya, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Yunnan. It was formerly lumped with the striped prinia as the striated prinia, and populations in Myanmar, most of China and Taiwan are now considered P. striata after a 2019 study (Wikipedia, general species account).

The tail is long and broad and cold-toned dark, and there is significant sexual dimorphism in size and colour. In the breeding season males have a blackish crown, paler around the edges in many individuals, while in the non-breeding season both sexes have streaking on the upperparts and mottling on the sides of the face and breast, and breeding females are lighter with less streaking. SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority, a resident and altitudinal migrant of grassland and scrub with a Moderate range of about 109,000 km² and a stable long-term trend (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).