Piping Cisticola
Cisticola fulvicapilla
Small, very plain cisticola of uplands. Note the rufous cap. The underparts are gray in southern South Africa and buffy throughout the rest of the range. Found in open woodland, scrub, plantations, and fynbos. Song is a repeated, high-pitched peep. As with all cisticolas, habitat and voice are important cues in identification. Similar to Short-winged Cisticola, but Piping shows rufous on the cap.
Identification
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.<p>The southern form, found in the southern parts of South Africa, has the face and underpart plumage grey, with the back plumage greyish brown. As opposed to most cisticolas which are very similarly plumaged, this trio of greyish plumaged subspecies stands out as quite distinctive.<p>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.
Taxonomy
The neddicky was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1817 and given the binomial name Sylvia fulvicapilla. The specific epithet combines the Latin words fulvus "tawny" and -capillus "capped". The type locality is Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The species is now placed in the genus Cisticola which was erected by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1829.<p>Nine subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Cisticola fulvicapilla
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1817)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Cisticola
Range and habitat
The neddicky is a common bird of open woodland, including savannah with trees and open plantations of exotic species. It avoids densely wooded habitats. It is a resident breeder in much of Africa from Gabon, the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania south to the Cape.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
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.<p>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.
Conservation
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.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-necked Grebe
Podiceps grisegena
Large grebe; much larger than Eared or Horned Grebe with a longer neck and bill. Reddish neck, silver cheek, and black cap distinctive in breeding plumage. In winter, look for smudgy brown neck, whitish throat, and long, mostly yellow bill. Juveniles have stripes on face. Breeds on lakes and marshes in northern North America, Europe, and Asia. Builds a floating nest of plant matter. Winters mainly on the ocean, sometimes gathering in large flocks. Dives to feed on fish.
Yellowish Pipit
Anthus chii
Rather dull buffy ground-dwelling bird with a large but disjunct range from Panama to Argentina. Streaky brown above and paler below with a streaked breast and plain belly. Note long pinkish legs and white outer tail feathers. Found in any flat open habitat including savannah, agricultural areas, and desert. Most often seen on the ground, occasionally perched up on a small shrub or fence. The only pipit in most of its range. Listen for the distinctive song, a few tick notes followed by a long descending buzzy “tzeeeeeeew,” often given in flight.
Thick-billed Cuckoo
Pachycoccyx audeberti
Huge cuckoo that is black above and white below. Immature has white barring across its upperparts. Looks raptor-like in powerful, swooping flight. Uncommon bird of rainforest, gallery forest, and moist woodland, especially miombo. Call is a loud, repeated “wheet-it”, often given in a high display flight. Adult is separated from Great Spotted, Levaillant’s, and Pied cuckoos by its lack of a crest or white in the wing. Immature is similar to Great Spotted Cuckoo, but has black-and-white speckles on the head, and lacks a crest.
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