Levaillant's Cisticola

Cisticola tinniens

Cisticola di zone umide, relativamente colorata, di medie dimensioni e con coda lunga. Si notino il dorso e il groppone fortemente striati, e il rossiccio su calotta, ala e coda. Si trova all'interno e adiacente a densi habitat di zone umide. Il canto distintivo è una o due note introduttive “chip” seguite da un rapido e gorgheggiato miscuglio. Simile alla Cisticola serpeggiante, ma quella di Levaillant ha una coda rossiccia e un groppone striato. Colori relativamente audaci separano le due specie dalle altre cisticole.

Identificazione

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 brown. 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.

Tassonomia

Nome scientifico
Cisticola tinniens
Autorità
(Lichtenstein, MHC, 1842)
Ordine
Passeriformi
Famiglia
Cisticolidae
Genere
Cisticola

Areale e habitat

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.

Migrazione
Resident species

Comportamento

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.<p>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.

Conservazione

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.

Tendenza della popolazione
stable

Foto

Distribuzione

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