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Grey-backed Cisticola

Cisticola subruficapilla

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesShrublandDomed nestTiny · 10 g
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 1
Photo: Diego Rubolini · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 2
Photo: Diego Rubolini · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 3
Photo: i_c_riddell · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 4
Photo: i_c_riddell · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 5
Photo: Svyatoslav Knyazev · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 6
Photo: Svyatoslav Knyazev · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 7
Photo: Jared Zachary Herman · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 8
Photo: Alan Manson · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 9
Photo: Alan Manson · CC BY 4.0
Grey-backed Cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla), photo 10
Photo: Andrew Smith · Public domain

ID tip

The grey-backed cisticola is a small, 13–14 cm long, vocal, dull-coloured bird with a dark rufous crown to its reddish head. It has a rufous panel in the folded wing. The grey bill is short and straight, and the feet and legs are pinkish-brown. The eye is light brown. The southern form, "grey-backed cisticola" proper, found in southern Namibia and South Africa has a grey back heavily streaked with black. Its underparts are greyish white. Although cisticolas can be very similar in plumage, this greyish subspecies is quite distinctive.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Grey-backed Cisticola

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is September, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Grey-backed Cisticola

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 3 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

South Africa Namibia Angola

Recorded as a rare visitor in Lesotho.

About the Grey-backed Cisticola

The grey-backed cisticola or red-headed cisticola is a small passerine bird. This cisticola is a resident breeder in southernmost Angola, Namibia and western South Africa.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Red-faced Cisticola (Cisticola erythrops) Red-faced CisticolaCisticola erythropsThe red-faced cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. Desert Cisticola (Cisticola aridulus) Desert CisticolaCisticola aridulusThe desert cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. Cloud Cisticola (Cisticola textrix) Cloud CisticolaCisticola textrixThe cloud cisticola or tink-tink cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae.

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