Dorst's Cisticola
Cisticola guinea
Small but strong-billed cisticola that is rufous on the cap and the back of the neck, rich gray-brown on the back, and pale buff below. The back is plain in breeding plumage but has blurry streaks in non-breeding plumage. Note the black band and pale tips across the end of the tail. Found locally in savanna and dry woodland, mostly in the grassy understory. Very similar to Red-pate Cisticola, and best distinguished by song, but also has a duller rufous cap and more buffy underparts, especially the undertail. Also similar to Foxy and Rufous Cisticolas, but larger, with a rufous cap that contrasts with the gray-brown back. The song is a short, high-pitched trill, sometimes followed by several whistled notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cisticola guinea
- Authority
- Lynes, 1930
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Cisticola
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-necked Eremomela
Eremomela atricollis
A small warbler-like bird with a distinctive black throat-bar, bill, and bandit’s face-mask, and yellow throat, crown and feet. Upperparts are gray-brown and underparts pale lemon. Sexes alike; immatures are duller. Pairs are uncommon residents in well-developed Miombo and other broadleaved woodland. Will join flocks, and often forages with Green-capped Eremomela, which lacks any black markings on the face and chest. Calls a fast grating “dzrrrt” repeated twice a second for 5-10 seconds at a time.
Western Reef-Heron
Egretta gularis
Gangly heron with significant variation in plumage. Distinct dark morph is slate-gray with a white throat, while the palest morph is white with a yellow bill and lores. Pale gray intermediate morphs can also be found. Little Egret can look similar, but it has a darker bill than the white morph of the Western Reef-Heron. Primarily a coastal inhabitant, foraging on shorelines and in estuaries, but can also be found at some inland water bodies.
Philby's Partridge
Alectoris philbyi
Handsome partridge of the southwest Arabian mountains. Mostly pale gray and tan, with chestnut-and-white slashes along the sides, and a black face mask. In flight, shows dark wingtips and chestnut sides to the tail. Found in dry, rocky habitat at middle and high elevations, with a preference for bush areas. The common vocalization, given mainly early and late in the day, is an emphatic series of “chuk-chek-chuk” calls. Also gives clucking calls, especially when flushed. Similar to Arabian Partridge, but distinguished by the black face mask, and when in flight, by the chestnut in the tail.
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