Cisticolas are a genus of very small insectivorous birds formerly classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, but now usually considered to be in the separate family Cisticolidae, along with other southern warbler genera. They are believed to be quite closely related to the swallows and martins, the bulbuls and the white-eyes. The genus contains about 50 species, of which only two are not found in Africa: one in Madagascar and the other from Asia to Australasia. They are also sometimes called fantail-warblers due to their habit of conspicuously flicking their tails, or tailor-birds because of their nests.
The zitting cisticola or streaked fantail warbler is a widely distributed Old World warbler whose breeding range includes southern Europe, Africa, and southern Asia down to northern Australia. A small bird found mainly in grasslands, it is best identified by its rufous rump; as well, it lacks any gold on the collar and the brownish tail is tipped with white. During the breeding season, males have a zigzagging flight display accompanied by regular "zitting" calls that have been likened to repeated snips of a scissor. They build their pouch nest suspended within a clump of grass.
The short-tailed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae.
The foxy lark or Abyssinian lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in east-central Africa.
The short-winged cisticola, also known as the siffling cisticola, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The pectoral-patch cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are damp or wet areas in upland grassland.
The singing cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Chubb's cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda and the Albertine Rift montane forests.
The black-backed cisticola or black-necked cisticola is a species of passerine bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.
The winding cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It has a scattered distribution across Africa south of the Sahara, and north of 11°S.
The tiny cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
The red-winged prinia or the red-winged warbler is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It formerly belonged in the monotypic genus Heliolais. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where its natural habitat is dry savanna.
The Ethiopian oriole is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae.
The black-headed whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found on the Aru Islands and New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The red-fronted prinia, also known as the red-fronted warbler and the red-faced apalis, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.
The melancholy woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in West Africa from Sierra Leone east to Nigeria, living in forests, forest edges, clearings and woodlands. It is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the Gabon woodpecker. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as a least-concern species.
The Luapula cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in south-central Africa.
The rufous-winged cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found on the east coast of southern Africa.
The coastal cisticola, also known as the umbabird, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found on the coastal plain of East Africa.
The African green bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found throughout arid regions of Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and has expanded its range north to Egypt over the past few decades.
