Gray-breasted Prinia

Gray-breasted Prinia

Prinia hodgsonii

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Udawalawe National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

209 Verified sightings at Udawalawe National Park From 2019 to 2026
8,557 In all 24 parks
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Gray-breasted Prinia

The grey-breasted prinia or Franklin's prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) is a wren-warbler belonging to the family of small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia. Like other prinias, it often holds the tail upright but it is easily told by a smoky grey band across the breast which contrasts with a white throat. The beak is all black while the legs are pink. The tail is graduated as in other prinias and the grey feathers are tipped in white. In the breeding plumage the upperparts are grey while non-breeding birds are pale above with rufous wings and a weak supercilium. It is found in scrub, forest clearings and other open but well vegetated habitats. It can be confused with the rufescent prinia.

This species was named by James Franklin as Prinia gracilis in 1831 based on a specimen that he obtained on the Ganges between Calcutta and Benares. It was renamed as Prinia hodgsonii by Edward Blyth in 1844 since the name Sylvia gracilis had been in use for the graceful prinia (described earlier in 1823 by Martin Lichtenstein) clashed when treated in the same... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:56

India · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1088172 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:19

India · 2025

© Peter Boesman · XC1030824 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:54

Laos · 2020

© Bram Piot · XC584165 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
2 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
5 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
7 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
11 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
12 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
13 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
14 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
15 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
16 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
17 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
18 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
19 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
20 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
21 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
22 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
23 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
24 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Asansol 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Savar 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~30%
5 Dehradun 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Jaipur 🇮🇳 India
~10%
7 Bhubaneshwar 🇮🇳 India
~10%
8 Lucknow 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Pune 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Prayagraj 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Gray-breasted Prinia in Udawalawe National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-breasted Prinia sighting in Udawalawe National Park on a given day, based on 209 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 166 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Gray-breasted Prinia in Udawalawe National Park?

January and June

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-breasted Prinia in Udawalawe National Park on a given day, against about 30% in February and August–September, the lowest months. Those are among Udawalawe National Park's driest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 330 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a Gray-breasted Prinia?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-breasted Prinia sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Udawalawe National Park the best place to see a Gray-breasted Prinia?

Yes

Of the 24 parks where we can rate Gray-breasted Prinia sightings, Udawalawe National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Jim Corbett National Park (India, about 30%) and Kanha National Park (India, about 30%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Gray-breasted Prinia live in Udawalawe National Park?

Same genus: Prinia

The closest relatives of the Gray-breasted Prinia that you can see in Udawalawe National Park (genus Prinia, Prinias) are Plain Prinia (about 60%), Ashy Prinia (about 40%) and Jungle Prinia (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Gray-breasted Prinia sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Gray-breasted Prinia is recorded against all the birds logged in Udawalawe National Park (209 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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