L 10-11 cm. Breeds in open flat country in warm climates in tall grass or in fields; prefers drier terrain and avoids trees. Resident. Nests low in vegetation.
IDENTIFICATION: Small, podgy and short-tailed, sandy-brown and darkstreaked. Undulating song-flight can at times reveal that tail is strongly rounded and below is dark and broadly tipped white, also that wings are short and rounded. On perched bird, the short tail eliminates confusion with Graceful Prinia (which it otherwise most resembles). In breeding season, sexes separable: male has black bill and paler head-sides, female light brown bill and more uniformly dark head.
VOICE: Call a loud ‘chipp!’. Song a monotonous repetition of one short, sharp note, uttered for long periods (usually in wide circling song-flight) with regular and barely second-long pauses, ‘dzip… dzip… dzip… dzip… dzip…’.