Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Pale Prinia
Prinia somalica
Pale Prinia (Prinia somalica) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Pale Prinia (Prinia somalica) is a member of the Cisticolidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 7.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Cisticolidae Cisticolas & Allies
- Genus Prinia
- Species somalica
Quick facts
- Weight
- 7.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Pale Prinia is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Pale Prinia is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Pale Prinia (Prinia somalica) is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF ne.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 7.5 g, with a wing length of about 5 cm and a tail of around 6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 1.3 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Pale Prinia?
The Pale Prinia is a very small bird that weighs around 7.5 g.
Where does the Pale Prinia live?
The Pale Prinia is found across Africa with a range covering AF ne, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Pale Prinia belong to?
The Pale Prinia (Prinia somalica) belongs to the Cisticolidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Pale Prinia eat?
The Pale Prinia is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Pale Prinia migrate?
The Pale Prinia is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Pale Prinia endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Pale Prinia make?
1 real field recording of the Pale Prinia — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Pale Prinia's range?
The Pale Prinia has a mapped global range of about 1.3 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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