Zitting Cisticola

Cisticolas are a genus of very small insectivorous birds that used to be classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, but are now in a separate family Cisticolidae along with some other southern warblers. There are about 50 species and only two are not found in Africa. They are sometimes called fantail-warblers because they have a habit of flicking their tails, and tailer-birds because of their nests. 

In our recent trip to Uganda, in July 2025, our guides called out various cisticolas. My photos were generally horrible because they are very small and the identification through iNaturalist was difficult and indecisive. I just recently read "Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World" by Noah Strycker. Noah set the record for most birds seen in a year in 2015. On page 180, he made an observation about cisticolas that I really relate to: "One family of drab skulkers, called cisticolas, was especially confusing: each species looked similarly brown, so they had all been named for their sounds. In Ghana I recorded Whistling, Winding, Zitting, Singing, Siffling, and Croaking, and that was just the beginning; I'd soon add the Trilling, Wailing, Piping, Chattering, Rattling, Wing-snapping, and Rock-loving Cisticolas, among a dozen other species. If Snow White's seven dwarves were born identical twins, they'd still be a cinch to keep straight by comparison." Well, I feel a little better. 

I pick the zitting cisticola for this post because I've posted two photos on iNaturalist and each photo has one confirming identification. But more important, I was with a knowledgeable bird guide for each one and the guide identified it at the time. 

On July 3, 2022 we were with Bernardo Barreto of Birds & Nature Tours in Portugal and were around the Sado Estuary south of Lisbon. He identified this bird. 

On December 18, 2024 we were with our guide, Bablu Hussain, in the Central Range of Kaziranga NP in Assam, India. Bablu worked for the wonderful Diphlu Lodge and was our guide for a number of days. Bablu identified this bird in my photo, which is horribly blurry, as a zitting cisticola.  

Illustration of the nominate ssp. juncidis from Birds of the World.

The descriptions in Birds of the World are very detailed and hopeless for me to decipher, particularly with poor photos. I count 20 subspecies of zitting cisticola on Birds of the World. The subspecies in the Iberian Peninsula, which includes Portugal, part of the "Western Cisticolas", is ssp. cisticola. An illustration is not given for that subspecies. It is noted that ssp. cisticola is duller brown than the nominate. The ssp. for Kaziranga in northeastern India appears to possibly be cursitans, although that subspecies is identified as being in south to southeastern India (I don't see a subspecies listed that is in northeastern India). An illustration is not given. Cursitans is brighter and warmer buff than the nominate, with buffy tail mirrors. Wikipedia notes, about cisticolas in general, that "[b]ecause of their small size...and brown plumage, they are more easily heard than seen. The similar plumage of many species can make them hard to identify, particularly in winter when they seldom emerge from their grasses. Many African Species, in particular, are difficult to distinguish other than by their calls. Thirteen species are named for their calls, from 'singing' and 'chirping' to 'bubbling' and 'siffling'." 

Range of the zitting cisticola from Birds of the World.