Johannesburg Cisticolas (4 Viewers)

[Arbu]

Three cisticolas in dry grassland close to Johannesburg last week. Maybe I should try to record the calls in future for a better chance of identifying them. Anyway, grateful for opinions as to ID.

 

[01101001]

Hope it helps, maybe it doesn't in this particular case.

https://faansiepeacock.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cisticolas-Faansie-Peacock.jpg

EDIT: In case a rusty flank patch could mean Zitting, here's an overview of Zitting and Desert:

https://faansiepeacock.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Cloudscrapers-1024x747.jpg

 

[Arbu]

Hope it helps, maybe it doesn't in this particular case.

https://faansiepeacock.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cisticolas-Faansie-Peacock.jpg

EDIT: In case a rusty flank patch could mean Zitting, here's an overview of Zitting and Desert:

https://faansiepeacock.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Cloudscrapers-1024x747.jpg

Thanks. I think I'd go for Wailing for A - it seemed bigger than a Zitting, has a streaked crown and was on a rocky hillside.

 

[Arbu]

For B, I think Levaillant's as non-streaked crown and again bigger than Zitting. It was in dry grassland, not wetlands as described on your chart, but the Sasol guide states that it also occurs in rank grass. Someone on iNaturalist agrees with me.

Edit: Originally said C, but meant B

 

[01101001]

Re A: Its relative rarity together with a seeming lack of rusty on the lower flank (that at least some of the cloudscrapers seem to show depending on plumage) would bother me. Whatever is meant by big, it looks rather smallish compared to the grass stem, for what it's worth.

 

[01101001]

Re C: The lack of a rusty head bothers me.

 

[01101001]

I wouldn't characterise any of these tails as long, so we should ve left with Zitting, Cloud or Wing-snapping. (I need to type quickly before someone serious visits this thread.)

 

[Arbu]

Re C: The lack of a rusty head bothers me.

Maybe Desert. It was in a wide open grassy area, seemingly not the habitat for Zitting.

 

[01101001]

Desert not present here, so would be either Cloud or Wing-snapping if identifiable.

 

[01101001]

(At least we can rest assured that C is not Zitting, probably.)

 

[Arbu]

Desert not present here, so would be either Cloud or Wing-snapping if identifiable.

Plenty of sightings of Desert on ebird. I think I would have noticed wing-snapping if I'd heard it.

 

[Arbu]

A looks like the picture of Wailing in Sasol, but not the photos on ebird. I don't think it has the really short tail of Cloud or Wing-snapping. So maybe Zitting.

 

[01101001]

For me, B appears to be the most interesting (Desert appears to be one of the possibilities). I think that, with a bit of imagination, both A and C could be made into Zitting Cisticolas if identifiable.

EDIT: Zitting is overall the most common cisticola today, so A & C are rather fairly likely it.

EDIT 2: A bit of a different, but still similar situation in the entire Gauteng province.

 

[MacNara]

A is Zitting in my opinion. You can see the white tip to the tail - see attachment.

I don't think B or C can be indentified definitely (or even vaguely, actually). For B any possible wing panel is obscured by a branch. I don't think you can say anything about whether the crown is streaked or not. It could be Rattling, even, which is common and likely (at least a little north). I don't think C is Zitting, but it's so blurry that it's not really possible to say.

I've done my best with B and C but I don't think there is enough information there.

Maybe I should try to record the calls in future for a better chance of identifying them.

A number of years ago, I became ashamed of posting Cisticolas here with no idea of what they were. So on one trip to Namibia, I took a simple sound recorder and recorded every Cisticola I saw as well as taking a photo. I posted all fourteen of them on BF and Tib78 (much missed, busy with kids and work) kindly listened to every one. And they were all Rattling!

Photos: A, B, C

 

[Arbu]

OK, thanks. Worth noting if they respond to the call when I play it I suppose, as well. Worked well with this one in Mozambique which seemed to self-identify as Rufous-winged, even if someone's going to come on here and tell me it's not!

 

[MacNara]

It looks good to me.

 

[Arbu]

Some more cisticolas if anyone would care to look at them. I won't post them here unless someone would like me to. inaturalist