Tinkling cisticola

Cisticola rufilatus

Photo by Lindsay Hansch (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
tinkling cisticola (en); fuinha-rabirruiva (pt); cisticole grise (fr); cistícola gris (es); rotschwanz-zistensänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cisticolidae

Range:
This species is found in Africa, from Gabon and Congo, through Angola and southern D.R. Congo and into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, north-eastern Namibia, Botswana and northern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 14 g.

Habitat:
The tinkling cisticola is mostly found in dry tropical forests and savannas, but also in sry scrublands and arable land.

Diet:
They feed on insects.

Breeding:
Tinkling cisticolas breed in October-March. The nest in an oval or ball-shaped structure, made of dry grass and rootlets and reinforced with spider webs. It is lined with plant down and typically placed near ground level in a grass tuft, herb or scrub. The female lays 2-4 eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12-13 day after hatching, but only become fully independent 1 month later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as locally fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.