Red-headed Cisticola
Cisticola subruficapilla
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCisticolidae (Cisticolas and Allies)
- GenusCisticola (Cisticolas)
- SpeciesCisticola subruficapilla (Red-headed Cisticola)
About the Red-headed Cisticola
The grey-backed cisticola or red-headed cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla) is a small passerine bird. This cisticola is a resident breeder in southernmost Angola, Namibia and western South Africa. The grey-backed cisticola is a very common bird of coastal fynbos, karoo shrub and grassy areas on estuarine flats.
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. The northern subspecies has a brown back heavily streaked with black and cold buff underparts. It is very similar to the wailing cisticola, Cisticola lais, of eastern South Africa, but that species has warmer buff underparts and does not overlap in range.
The sexes are similar, but juvenile birds are duller with a yellow face... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Red-headed Cisticola in Garden Route National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Garden Route National Park
Levaillant's Cisticola
Cisticola tinniens
Piping Cisticola
Cisticola fulvicapilla
Zitting Cisticola
Cisticola juncidis
Cloud Cisticola
Cisticola textrix
Wing-snapping Cisticola
Cisticola ayresii
Wailing Cisticola
Cisticola lais
Rock-loving Cisticola
Cisticola aberrans
Bar-throated Apalis
Apalis thoracica
Green-backed Camaroptera
Camaroptera brachyura
Karoo Prinia
Prinia maculosa
Cape White-eye
Zosterops virens
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Red-headed Cisticola in Garden Route National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-headed Cisticola sighting in Garden Route National Park, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Red-headed Cisticola in Garden Route National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Red-headed Cisticola in Garden Route National Park in our monthly data.