Rattling cisticola
The rattling cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae which is native to Africa south of the equator, and parts of East Africa. It is a common to abundant species in open savanna and scrubland habitats, whether in arid, moist or upland regions. Especially during summer, it is highly conspicuous due to its strident and repetitive call-notes from prominent perches.
Taxonomy
The rattling cisticola was formally described in 1843 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith under the binomial name Drymoica chiniana based on a male specimen collected near the town of Zeerust in the North West Province of South Africa. The specific epithet chiniana is probably from the toponym "Chenyane" or Tshwenyane Mountains that lie to the north of Zeerust. The rattling cisticola is now one of 53 species placed in the genus Cisticola that was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup.Seventeen subspecies are recognised:C. c. simplex – south Sudan, northeast DR Congo and north UgandaC. c. fricki Mearns, 1913 – south Ethiopia and north KenyaC. c. fortis Lynes, 1930 – Gabon to central Angola, south DR Congo and ZambiaC. c. humilis Madarász, G, 1904 – east Uganda and west KenyaC. c. fischeri Reichenow, 1891 – central north TanzaniaC. c. ukamba Lynes, 1930 – central Kenya and north TanzaniaC. c. victoria Lynes, 1930 – southwest Kenya and north TanzaniaC. c. heterophrys Oberholser, 1906 – coastal Kenya and TanzaniaC. c. keithi Parkes, 1987 – central south TanzaniaC. c. mbeya Parkes, 1987 – south TanzaniaC. c. emendatus Vincent, 1944 – Malawi, southeast Tanzania and north MozambiqueC. c. procerus Peters, W, 1868 – east Zambia, south Malawi and central MozambiqueC. c. frater Reichenow, 1916 – central NamibiaC. c. bensoni Traylor, 1964 – south ZambiaC. c. smithersi Hall, BP, 1956 – south Angola and north Namibia to west ZimbabweC. c. chiniana – southeast Botswana and Zimbabwe to central south Mozambique and central South AfricaC. c. campestris Gould, 1845 – southeast Mozambique and east South Africa
Distribution and habitat
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is arid, mesic or moist savannas and woodland, often dominated by thorn trees or thorn shrub. It is, however, also commonly found in miombo and mopane woodland, and is one of the commonest bird species on the Mozambican coastal plain. It is also present in the Eastern Highlands and the East African uplands below 2,000 m. In addition it utilizes some ecotones including edges of cultivation, fringes of dense woodland and woodland fringing the Okavango delta.The tinkling cisticola replaces it in stunted broad-leaved woodland and dry deciduous woodland on sandy substrates, while various Cisticola species replace it in marshy situations. It co-occurs with various Prinia species.
Behaviour
[file:Rattling cisticola eggs.jpg|thumb|Series of eggs, showing variation in background colour and spotting]Especially in summer, much time is spent calling prominently from the top of a tree or bush. The strident call can be rendered as "chee-chee chichi-chirrrrr", but varies somewhat from individual to individual.