Carruthers's Cisticola
Cisticola carruthersi
Relatively colorful, mid-sized, long-tailed cisticola. Note the gray-brown back with thick black streaks, rufous on the wing and cap, and whitish underparts. Found mainly in papyrus swamp and locally in other wetland habitats. Song is a quick, aggressive series of several “chyap” notes. Very similar to Winding Cisticola, and best separated by song; Carruther’s also has a less reddish panel in the wing and a mostly dark tail.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cisticola carruthersi
- Authority
- Ogilvie-Grant, 1909
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Cisticola
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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Fairly large wren, found in foothills and subtropics from Venezuela to western Ecuador. More often heard than seen; listen for rich whistled song usually given in widely spaced repeated phrases. Rufous above and pale grayish below, with striped black-and-white face pattern. Black bars on tail, unlike similar Plain-tailed Wren, which is found at higher elevations. Sexes similar. Skulks in thickets and tangles at the forest edge, usually in pairs.
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