Nepal Rufous vented Prinia discovered in 2008

Nepal Rufous-vented Prinia Prinia burnesi nipalensis CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

The adult of this new subspecies has overall olive-grey to light brown plumage. The head and nape are greyer compared to the browner back, wings and tail. In most individuals, there is faint whitish supercilium which reaches behind the eye. The head is densely streaked compared to back. On the back, the streakings are bolder compared to the ones in head. The juveniles are similar to adults but slightly less marked on the head and body. Light rufous undertail coverts were visible in one young bird caught. All birds seen and heard were located on grassland patches on small islands of the Koshi River. The other two subspecies of Rufous-vented Prinia, the first one Prinia burnesii burnesii is found in Pakistan in the west along the tributaries of Indus River and adjacent Punjab in India, and the second Prinia burnesii cinerascens is found in Assam in the east along the Bramhaputra river systems and adjoining states of India and Bangladesh. The other two subspecies of Rufous-vented Prinia, the first one Prinia burnesii burnesii is found in Pakistan in the west along the tributaries of Indus River and adjacent Punjab in India, and the second Prinia burnesii cinerascens is found in Assam in the east along the Bramhaputra river systems and adjoining states of India and Bangladesh. The newly described bird shows somewhat intermediate characters between the two subspecies and appears to form a link between them, is found in the Ganges river systems which is the other major river system in the India subcontinent. They were absent in heavily disturbed grasslands adjacent to villages indicating their preference for less disturbed grasslands. It is a resident breeding species and highly threatened in the country because of habitat loss and degradation. Future surveys might reveal its presence in grasslands in different parts of the country. Conservationists are warning that with habitat loss and degradation, the newly-identified variety is highly threatened, with at most 500 birds currently alive. conservationists are warning that with habitat loss and degradation, the newly-identified variety is highly threatened, with at most 500 birds currently alive.
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