Red-pate Cisticola? Southern Sudan (1 Viewer)

[MarkMallalieu]

I feel I ought to apologise before posting a cisticola photo....but here goes. Is this is non-breeding plumage Red-pate Cisticola or is it a Rattling? Bird was in parched fairly open bush country, alongside Foxy Cisticolas. The unstreaked crown seems to favour Red-pate.

Mark

 

[tomjenner]

Nikolaus describes Red-pate as common in southern Sudan. However, it does seem very heavily streaked even for a non-breeder (breeding birds are virtually unstreaked). I have never seen this species, but Stevenson and Fanshaw show Red-pate as having a pale tip to the tail with a dark sub-terminal band, which does not seem to fit this bird. It seems to have quite a stout bill for a cisticola. Is Stout Cisticola a possibility? There is only one previous record from Sudan, but I doubt that means much. Hopefully someone will come along soon that has a lot more knowledge of cisticolas than me (which includes most people).

Edit - On second thoughts, having looked at photos on the internet it looks quite good. It seems that the books are not good at showing Red-pate Cisticola (or any of the others for that matter).

Tom

 

[Marmot]

If there is confirmation that this is a Red pate Cisticola it will be a brand new species for Opus

 

[TZBirder]

It's certainly not rattling. And I don't think it's stout - there's usually at least some streaking on the forehead. But I've never seen Red-pate so can't do the positives for that I'm afraid...

 

[Marmot]

Just want to bring this thread back into play, as we may have newer views on this to confirm its identity...We did not put it in Opus and it is still one of our missing species/photos in Opus.

I hope Mark does not mind me doing this but hopefully it may settle its true identity.

 

[MarkMallalieu]

Hi and thanks for coming back to this. I have now seen lots of Red-pate Cisticolas around Juba, mainly in the breeding season (the rains). Their song is wrongly described in Stevenson and Fanshawe's Birds of East Africa, but there is a good recording on the Rasmussen Avocet database. I attach three photos of Red-pates in unstreaked breeding plumage and one in streaked non-breeding plumage.

The photograph in the original post looks good for Red-pate except that the bill seems too thick. I'd be tempted to suggest Croaking but the Croaking Cisticolas here do not show rufous crowns (although images 5 & 8 in the ABC database seem to show some rufous and are likely the same subspecies, Cisticola natalensis strangei). My assumption is that it must be Red-pate but further views welcome.

At least you now have some definite Red-pate photos....

Mark

 

[Marmot]

You have made my day, I am going through the Cisticolas in Opus and this one of them which we were lacking a photo of. I will make sure they are uploaded.

I May PM you to see if you have any of the other Cisticolas and perhaps a few others we are missing as we have very few members in Sudan so you may be able to fill a couple of gaps.

 

[MarkMallalieu]

Glad to help. I have photos of the cisticolas that occur around Juba except Red-faced and Zitting. I have good pictures of Winding Cisticola of the race marginatus, which looks very different from the illustrations in the main guide books. Others species: Croaking, Rattling, Foxy,Siffling and Singing (but some are rather poor record shots only).

By the way, can you show South Sudan as an independent nation. It had its first birthday today.

Mark
http://birdingsouthsudan.blogspot.com/

 

[IanF]

Glad to help. I have photos of the cisticolas that occur around Juba except Red-faced and Zitting. I have good pictures of Winding Cisticola of the race marginatus, which looks very different from the illustrations in the main guide books. Others species: Croaking, Rattling, Foxy,Siffling and Singing (but some are rather poor record shots only).

By the way, can you show South Sudan as an independent nation. It had its first birthday today.

Mark
http://birdingsouthsudan.blogspot.com/

Thanks for these - South Sudan updated - many 'happy returns' :t:

 

[Marmot]

Thanks again, if you want to upload the Winding Cisticola as we only have the Ethiopian sub species in Opus.

Happy Birthday South Sudan!