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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. ==Taxonomy== 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 genus ''Prinia''. It was also described as ''Prinia adamsi'' by Jerdon and as ''Prinia humilis'' by Hume This was placed in a separate genus ''Franklinia'' by Blyth and this treatment was followed by Jerdon and by others including Hugh Whistler who separated this species from the genus ''Prinia'' and placed it in the genus ''Franklinia'' which he considered distinct on the basis of having twelve tail feathers rather than ten and in having distinct breeding and non-breeding plumages. The merging of ''Prinia'' and ''Franklinia'' was supported by H. G. Deignan. The species has a widespread distribution and populations show distinct plumages which have been described as subspecies:〔〔 * ''P. h. hodgsonii'' Blyth, 1844 - the nominate subspecies is a resident of the Indian Peninsula from the Gangetic plains to Mysore in the south and extending east to Bangladesh. This loses the breast band in the non-breeding season and moults into grey-olive upperparts. * ''P. h. rufula'' Godwin-Austen, 1874 - is a resident in the Himalayan foothills from lower Swat in Pakistan to Arunachal Pradesh in eastern India. It makes altitudinal movements descending south in winter. This has a tinge of rufous on the flanks and on the upper-body. * ''P. h. albogularis'' Walden, 1870 - of the Western Ghats has the broadest and darkest breast band. * ''P. h. pectoralis'' Legge, 1874 - is resident in the eastern and southeastern part of Sri Lanka. It sports the grey breast-band throughout the year. The band is incomplete in the middle for females. An alternate name of ''P. h. leggei'' was proposed due to the idea that it might clash with the name of ''Malcorus pectoralis'' but the original name is retained since the other species is placed in a different genus. * ''P. h. erro'' Deignan, 1942 - geographic range from East Myanmar to Thailand and South Indochina.〔 * ''P. h. confusa'' Deignan, 1942 - geographic range from South China to Northeast Laos and N Vietnam.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grey-breasted prinia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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