Zitting Cisticola
A species of Cisticolas, Also known as Fan-tailed Cisticola Scientific name : Cisticola juncidis Genus : Cisticolas
Zitting Cisticola, A species of Cisticolas
Also known as:
Fan-tailed Cisticola
Botanical name: Cisticola juncidis
Genus: Cisticolas
Content
Description General Info
Photo By PJeganathan , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The zitting cisticola is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) in length. It is brown above, heavily streaked with black markings. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species. The adult males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the females, but there are no great difference between the sexes or the eighteen geographical races. The absence of a nuchal collar separate it from the golden-headed cisticola (Cisticola exilis). In the non-breeding season, they tend to skulk within the grass and can be hard to spot. 
Size
10 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Bronze
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
5 years
Feeding Habits
Zitting Cisticola primarily feeds on insects, employing agile aerial hunting and foraging methods. It exhibits a preference for arthropods, displaying unique adaptability in exploiting a range of habitats. Zitting Cisticola’s diet and behavior underscore its ecological niche.
Habitat
Zitting Cisticola thrives mainly in open and seasonally flooded grasslands, including wet meadows, fallow lands, and agricultural fields like wheat and rice paddies. Preferring environments with vegetation generally under one meter tall, zitting Cisticola inhabits wetter grasslands with a necessity for living, narrow-bladed grasses for nesting. While zitting Cisticola can be found up to elevations of 3000 m in East Africa and 2400 m in Southern Africa, it predominantly resides at lower elevations. This species adapts to various grassy habitats, from reedbeds to saltmarshes and is occasionally sighted in urban green spaces.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Sounds
Call
Recording location: Belgium
Song
Recording location: Belgium
Song
Recording location: Belgium
Behavior
Zitting cisticolas are very small insectivorous birds, sometimes found in small groups. The breeding season is associated with the rains. Two broods a year occur in many regions. Males are polygynous but some are monogamous the male builds the initial nest structure deep in the grasses, and invites females using a special display. Females that accept the male complete the nest. The nest is made by binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant-down, cobwebs, and grass. The zitting cisticola's nest is a cup shape with a canopy of tied-together leaves or grasses overhead for camouflage; 3–6 eggs are laid. The female incubates the egg. The eggs hatch after about 10 days. More than one brood may be raised. Females change their mates frequently and rarely stay within the same territory, while males are less mobile, maintaining non-overlapping song-territories which shifted from day to day. Females can sometimes breed in their first year.
Distribution Area
This species is found mainly in grassland habitats, often near water. Most populations are resident, but some East Asian populations migrate south to warmer areas in winter. In the Himalayas, they ascend to about 1,900 m (6,200 ft) during summer but are below 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in the winter. This species is a rare vagrant to northern Europe, mostly as a spring overshoot. Its European range is generally expanding, although northern populations are especially susceptible to hard winters.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Cisticolas and allies Genus
Cisticolas Species
Zitting Cisticola 
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