Rock-loving Cisticola
Cisticola aberrans
Large, plain, long-tailed cisticola. Note the pale eye stripe, which is lacking in most similarly plain cisticolas. Varies geographically: the crown can be rufous or brown, and the underparts buffy or gray. Found on rocky slopes in grassland and savanna. Often cocks up the tail like a wren or prinia. Calls include squeaks, bleats, and dry rattles. As with all cisticolas, habitat and voice are important cues in identification.
Identification
The rock-loving cisticola (Cisticola aberrans), also known as the lazy cisticola, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is usually associated with rocky wooded terrain with interspersed patchy grass tussocks. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Huambo cisticola (Cisticola bailunduensis).
Taxonomy
Genus: Cisticola; Family: Cisticolidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Cisticola aberrans
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Cisticola
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Cream-eyed Bulbul
Pycnonotus pseudosimplex
Dull dirt-brown bulbul with pale button eyes. Currently only known from northern Borneo, where it is the only plain brown bulbul with white eyes. Pale-eyed forms of closely related Cream-vented Bulbul do not overlap in range. Found in a range of forests and forest edges. Like other bulbuls, often joins flocks at fruiting trees. Gives loud “pinks” and quiet sputtering trills.
Red-billed Curassow
Crax blumenbachii
Very large terrestrial species. Males are mostly black with a curly crest and a white belly and vent. Note the red bill knob with a small wattle. Females have black-and-chestnut bars on their wings and a rufous belly. Inhabits humid primary forests with dense understory where it normally forages in pair or small family groups.
Southern Hyliota
Hyliota australis
Mid-sized, generic-looking warbler-like bird. Males have a matte black back, a white wing patch, and very pale yellowish underparts. Females are similar, but browner on the back. Found mainly in broadleaf savanna, and locally in humid forest. Usually in pairs or small groups, which will join mixed-species feeding flocks. The quiet vocalizations include chatty calls and trills. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Hyliota. In most of the range, Southern males distinguished by the smaller white patch on the wing, and females by their browner upperparts. In Uganda and Kenya, males are extremely similar, but Southern can still be recognized by its non-glossy black back.
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