From Opus

Alternative name: Tink-tink Cisticola

Cisticola textrix

[edit] Identification

Length 9-10 cm; mass 8-13 g.

Breeding Adult: The upper parts are brown, streaked blackish. The tail is very short, the upper side being black with a white tip. The under parts are mostly whitish, with brown streaks on the sides of the breast and buffy-white flanks. The eyes are pale brown, and the legs and feet are pinkish brown.

Non-breeding Adult: Similar to the breeding adult, but the upper parts are more rusty, the crown is more heavily streaked, and the tail longer.

Similar species: Difficult to tell from Wing-snapping Cisticola unless calling.

[edit] Distribution

Southern and eastern South Africa, western Swaziland, western Lesotho. There are also isolated populations in Angola, south-western Democratic Republic of Congo and western Zambia.

[edit] Taxonomy

Cisticola textrix has five subspecies:

• C. t. textrix, southern and south-western South Africa (west of Algoa Bay), breast and flanks boldly streaked;
• C. t. bulubulu, Angola;
• C. t. anselli, Angola & Zambia;
• C. t. marleyi, north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and extreme southern Mozambique;
• C. t. major, South Africa beween 25°E and 32°E, western Lesotho and western Swaziland;

[edit] Habitat

Short grassland with bare patches between grass tufts. Also fynbos patches with short restiods in the Western Cape.

[edit] Behaviour

Usually solitary. Forages on the ground and in grass tufts for arthropods.

Breeding: The nest is a ball of grass with a side entrance. It is built close to the ground on a grass tuft. Two to four eggs are laid (August to March in South Africa).

[edit] References

Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533

[edit] External Links