The Karoo Prinia or Spotted Prinia, Prinia maculosa, is a small passerine bird. This prinia is a southern African endemic resident breeder in Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland.
It is a species of karoo scrub, fynbos and bracken covered slopes in semi-desert and mountains. The former eastern subspecies P. m. hypoxantha is now usually considered to be a separate species, the Drakensberg Prinia, P. hypoxantha.
The Karoo Prinia is 13-15 cm long, with short rounded wings, alongish tail, strong legs and a short straight black bill. The head hasa whitish eybrow and the upperparts are otherwise brown. The throat and lower face arewhitish with dark streaking and the rest of the underparts areyellowish white or yellow with distinct black streaking. The long tailhas a dark spot near the end and is typically cocked up at an angle.The feet and legs are pinkish-brown, and the eye is dark brown. Thesexes are identical, but juveniles are much yellower below than theadults and less heavily streaked.
The calls of this species include a sharp chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet-chleet, and a fast buzzy tit-tit-tit-tit-tit
The Karoo Prinia can only be confused with the closely relatedDrakensberg Prinia, but has less yellow underparts with heavierspotting than that species.
The Karoo Prinia builds a thin-walled oval nest with a side entrancefrom green grass. It is well hidden deep inside a leafy shrub or bush.Breeding is from August to September in areas with winter rainfall, butlater (up to December) elsewhere.
The Karoo Prinia is usually seen in pairs or small groups, typicallylow in scrub, but sometimes perching on the top of a bush. It activelyforages for small insects, with tail cocked and frequently swung side-to-side.