Cisticola tinniens

Cisitolas are a constant source of debate when it comes to identifying them correctly, and the more detail you have in your photographs (and the clearer your song recordings) the more chance you have of success. In the case of Levaillant’s you need to look out for its diagnostic rufous tail, streaked rump and its unique song. It also helps to pay attention to where you are in the country (as these guys spend their time in wetland habitats and their range only overlaps slightly with rufous-winged cisticola, which has a grayish (not rufous) tail).

We first recorded this common, water-loving cisticola in March 2010 while birding the Wakkerstroom area in Mpumulanga.