Cisticolas (Genus of Cisticola)

A Levaillant's Cisticola photographed at Rondevlei Nature Reserve in the False Bay region of Cape Town.

Cisticolas (pronounced sis-TIC-olas) are a genus of very small insectivorous birds formerly classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, but now usually considered to be in the separate family Cisticolidae, along with other southern warbler genera. They are believed to be quite closely related to the swallows and martins, the bulbuls and the white-eyes. The genus contains about 45 species, of which only two are not found in Africa: one in Madagascar and the other from Asia to Australasia.

Their generic name, Cisticola, means inhabitant (-cola) of a woven basket (cista-), referring to the finely woven nest of the zitting cisticola, the most widespread species. They are also sometimes called fantail-warblers due to their habit of conspicuously flicking their tails, or tailor-birds because of their nests.

Cisticolas are widespread through the Old World's tropical and sub-tropical regions. Africa, which is home to almost all species, is the most likely ancestral home of the group. Cisticolas are usually non-migratory with most species attached to and often distinguishable by their habitats.

A variety of open habitats are occupied. These include wetlands, moist or drier grasslands, open or rocky mountain slopes, and human-modified habitats such as road verges, cultivation, weedy areas or pasture. The species preferring wetlands can be found at the edges of mangrove, or inpapyrus, common reed, or typha swamps. Cisticolas are generally quite common within what remains of their preferred habitats.

The zitting cisticola (or fan-tailed warbler) is widespread throughout the tropics and even breeds in southern Europe. It has occurred on a few occasions as a vagrant to England.

Because of their small size (about 10 cm) and brown plumage, they are more easily heard than seen. The similar plumage of many species can make them hard to identify, particularly in winter when they seldom emerge from their grasses. Many African species, in particular, are difficult to distinguish other than by their calls. Thirteen species are named for their calls, from "singing" and "chirping" to "bubbling" and "siffling".

Male cisticolas are polygamous. The female builds a discreet nest deep in the grasses, often binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant down, cobweb, and grass: a cup shape for the zitting cisticola with a canopy of tied-together leaves or grasses overhead for camouflage, a full dome for the golden-headed cisticola. The average clutch is about 4 eggs, which take about 2 weeks to hatch. The parasitic weaver is a specialist parasite of cisticolas and prinias.

In summer, male cisticolas of smaller species make spectacular display flights while larger species perch in prominent places to sing lustily. Despite his size and well-camouflaged, brown-streaked plumage, the male golden-headed cisticola of Australia and southern Asia produces a small, brilliant splash of golden-yellow colour in the dappled sunlight of a reed bed.

There are 45 different species of cisticola in the cisticola genus:

Neddicky

Zitting Cisticola
levaillant's Cisticola
Grey Backed Cisticola
Wailing Cisticola
Cloud Cisticola
Desert Cisticola
Wing Snapping Cisticola
Lazy Cisticola
Pale Crowned Cisticola
Croaching Cisticola
Tinkling Cisticola
Rattling Cisticola
Red Faced Cisticola
Winding Cisticola
Chirping Cisticola
Short Winged Cisticola
Singing Cisticola
Long Tailed Cisticola
Stout Cisticola
Whistling Cisticola
Dambo's Cisticola
Chattering Cisticola
Bubbling Cisticola
Black Tailed Cisticola
Trilling Cisticola
Black Lored Cisticola
Churring's Cisticola
Chub's Cisticola
Carruther's Cisticola
Pectoral Patch Cisticola
Black Backed Cisticola
Hunter's Cisticola
Ashy Cisticola
Tiny Cisticola
Red Pate Cisticola
Boran's Cisticola
Tona River Cisticola
Aberdan Cisticola (EN)
Rufus Cisticola
Dorst's Cisticola
Brown Backed Cisticola
Madagascan Cisticola
Socotra Cisticola (NT)
Golden Headed Cisticola

6 out of the 45 species can be found in the Western Cape.
15 out of the 45 species can be found in South Africa.
43 of the 45 species can be found in Africa.
2 of the 45 species can be found in Asia.

I would guess your best chance of seeing a bird specie belonging to this genus is in in South Africa (most likely in Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga), DRC and Tanzania.

I have only been able to photograph two of the 45 cisticola species; Levaillant's Cisticola and Neddicky.

Levaillant's Cisticola

A Levaillant's Cisticola Photographed at the Inthaka Bird Sanctuary in the Western Coastal part of Cape Town.

The Levaillant's cisticola is a small, 12–15 cm long, dull-coloured bird with a longish tail and a reddish cap. The upperparts of the breeding adult are grey, heavily streaked with black, and with a rufous panel in the folded wing The supercilium, face and underparts are buffy white and the tail is russet brow. The short straight bill is blackish-brown with a pinkish base, and the feet and legs are pinkish-brown. The eye is light brown. Non-breeding adults are browner-backed, and juvenile birds have yellower underparts. The calls include a musical chrip-trrrup-trreee, a wailing tee tee tee and harsh alarm notes.
The cisticola is a resident breeder in eastern Africa from Kenya to eastern South Africa. It is common in reedbeds, sedges, rank grass, and similar wet habitats usually near rivers or dams.Levaillant's cisticola is usually seen in pairs, singly, or in small family parties. Flitting through the grass as it forages for small insects. It is vocal and conspicuous, perching on the top of tall grass stems and reeds and making its alarm call.
The cisticola builds a ball-shaped nest with a side entrance from dry grass, cobwebs and felted plant down. It is usually placed in a tuft of grass or weeds, which are standing in, or hanging over water. Nesting occurs from August to October.
This common species has a large range, with an estimated extent of 1,400,000 km². The population size is believed to be large, and the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as least concern.

Some of the places where I have photographed the Levaillant's Cisticola is:

Paarl Bird Sanctuary, Paarl, Western Cape

Strandfontein Bird Sanctuary, False Bay Western Cape

Val de Vie, Paarl, Western Cape

Rondevlei, FalseBay, Western Cape

The Distribution of the Levaillant's Cisticola is:

Neddicky

The neddicky, or piping cisticola, (Cisticola fulvicapilla), is a small passerine bird. The common name neddicky is used from the Afrikaans name for the species, as it is commonly known.

This cisticola is a resident breeder in much of Africa from Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania south to the Cape.

The neddicky is a very common bird of open woodland, including savannah with trees and open plantations of exotic species. It avoids densely wooded habitats.

The neddicky is a small, vocal, dull-coloured brown bird, 11 cm in length. Its tail is not as short as that of some other cisticola species. This bird has a reddish cap and a plain back. The underparts are buff, darker in tone on the breast. The brown bill is short and straight, and the feet and legs are pinkish-brown. The eye is light brown. The sexes are similar, but juvenile birds are yellower.

The southern form found in the western Cape Province has grey underparts and a grey-brown back. Althoughcisticolas can be very similar in plumage, this greyish subspecies is therefore quite distinctive.

The call of the neddicky is a monotonous, penetrating, repetitive weep weep weep. The alarm call is a loud clicking tictictictic, like a fingernail running across the teeth of a comb.

The neddicky builds a ball-shaped nest with a side entrance from dry grass, cobwebs and felted plant down. The nest is placed low in a thorny shrub, or in thick grass. In South Africa, this bird breeds mainly from September to March.

The neddicky is usually seen in pairs or singly, flitting in a bush or the grass at the base of a tree as it forages for small insects.

This common species has a large range, with an estimated extent of 4,100,000 km². The population size is believed to be large, and the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as least concern.

Some of the places where I have photographed the Neddicky is;

Paarl Mountain Reserve, Paarl, Western Cape

The distribution of the Neddicky is:

The next bird I target to photograph in this specific genus is the Zitting Cisticola. This should not be too difficult as they are distributed across the Western Cape and do occur at many places I would normally visit. They are also found across many parts of Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia.

The distribution of the Zitting Cisticola is: