Croaking Cisticola

I photographed two croaking cisticolas in Uganda. Neither has been substantiated by a reviewer on iNaturalist, but I believe our guide William identified them as such. The first was in Murchison Falls NP.

The next one was in Kidepo Valley NP.

It is the largest cisticola. It is gray-brown above, heavily streaked with black. The underparts are whitish, the tail is broad and pale-tipped. It has a heavy bill and a chestnut wing-panel. It is best distinguished from other cisticolas by its size and froglike croaking breep-breep. There are seven subspecies and I saw ssp strangei which is found from Senegal east to most of South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, south-central Kenya and northern Tanzania, south to Congo and Cabinda. Because of their small size and the fact that they rarely emerge from the grasses, except in breeding season, the song is the easiest way to identify them.

Illustration of ssp natalensis from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World.

Winding Cisticola

My previous post on the zitting cisticola had a little bit on cisticolas in general and how difficult they are to identify, particularly in Africa. The only other cisticola that I've had confirmation on from another identifier on iNaturalist is the winding cisticola which I saw on the hill between Nkima Forest Lodge and the Mabamba Swamp near Entebbe, Uganda. I saw another in the same area that my guide identified as a winding cisticola (he identified both), but it has not had a confirmation on iNaturalist. 

This one had an identifier on iNaturalist. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults, but has a crown streaked dark brown and a face and underparts washed lemon-yellow, which this has. 

This one did not have an identifier on iNaturalist. The options given on iNaturalist were first, winding; second, croaking; third, zitting; and fourth, rattling; all cisticolas. 

There are five subspecies and I saw ssp nyansae which is found in central and eastern DRC, Uganda and Kenya. The descriptions are so detailed and the differences so subtle that it is hard to get motivated to go into the description. The nominate subspecies has, among other things, ear-coverts washed gray-brown; a rufous-brown to rufous crown; upperparts are dark gray-brown, broadly streaked blackish on the mantle and back; flight feathers and upper wing coverts are dark brown with rufous margins, forming a reddish wing panel; remaining wing coverts are broadly margined gray-brown. The crown of ssp nyansae is more rufous-brown and less gray. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

I looked to see if I could find out how the name "winding" came about. A blog called "Laura Erickson's For The Birds", did a post on December 15, 2016 titled Sounding out Names. She noted that when she was in Uganda she "saw a bunch of drab songbirds called cisticolas. Many of the species in this group are named specifically for the sounds thy make: there is a Singing, Chattering, Whistling, Trilling, Bubbling, Rattling, Tinkling, Wailing, Churring, Chirping, Croaking, Piping, Zitting, and Wing-snapping Cisticola. I'm not sure how the Winding Cisticola got its name, because it doesn't sound like someone is winding a clock..." 

Range from Birds of the World.

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. 

Moustached Grass-Warbler

In Kidepo Valley NP in northern Uganda I got a partial photo of a moustached grass-warbler. There are five subspecies and I saw ssp. amauroura which is apparently found in all of Uganda, South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia south to eastern DRC, western and central Tanzania and northern and central Zambia. Birds of the World notes 6,826 observations and 968 photos, which is pretty low. The nominate ssps is olive-brown above; tinged with rufous on the forehead, rump and uppertail coverts; white lores and face to chin; narrow black line below the eye; ear coverts streaked olive brown and buffy brown; black malar stripe; and so one. Ssps amauroura is slightly darker brown, less olive above than the nominate, the tail is blacker, and the ear-coverts have white shaft streaks. 

Illustration of the nominate ssp from Birds of the World.

Range map from Birds of the World.

Rock Pratincole

The rock pratincole is an African wading bird which I saw at Murchison Falls in Uganda. I first saw it while below the falls on a boat that had come up from Paraa. One was on a rock, right next to the water. Later that day we went to the top of the falls and our guide, William, pointed them out on the bank where the river was rushing rapidly down to the falls. 

Near the bottom of Murchison Falls.

Near the top of Murchison Falls. Note how frothy the water is. Birds of the World has a photo taken in about the same place. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

They have dark gray or brown plumage with a white line beginning beneath the eye extending to the back of the neck like a collar. The bill is black with a red base and the legs and eyes are coral red. The wings are long and dark with a white patch on the underwing. The tail is forked and they usually have a white belly. There are two subspecies. I saw the "white naped" nominate ssp. nuchalis. There is a "rufous naped" ssp. liberia which has a rufous hindcollar. 

They live in flocks of about 26 pairs on the rocks feeding upon insects in the morning and evening and wading in the water during the heat of the day. Its diet is mostly flies, moths, ants, beetles, grasshoppers and cicadas. 

Range map from Birds of the World.

Vinaceous Dove

The vinaceous dove: has a pale brown back, wings and tail; the head and underparts are pinkish-gray; it has a black hind-neck patch edged with white; the legs are red; and there is white in the tail. I saw them in Uganda in Murchison Falls NP and Kidepo Valley NP. 

In Murchison Falls NP.

In Kidepo Valley NP.

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range map from Birds of the World. 

Common Bulbul

Bulbuls are members of the family Pycnonotidae and includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves and bristlebills. I've previously posted on: (1) the African red-eyed bulbul (June 27, 2018) which I saw in Etosha NP in Namibia; (2) the red-vented bulbul (February 17, 2025) which I saw in Kaziranga NP and in Jaipur, India; (3) the red-whiskered bulbul (December 3, 2022) which I saw at the Los Angeles County Arboretum); and (4) the yellow-vented bulbul (March 16, 2025) which I saw at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. On our recent trip to Uganda in July 2025 I saw multiple common bulbuls in virtually every area we visited. The common bulbul is also known as the black-eyed bulbul, black-capped bulbul and common garden bulbul. 

At Nkima Forest Lodge northwest of Entebbe, Uganda.

In Murchison Falls NP. 

In Kidepo Valley NP. 

This, my best photo, was taken outside our tent at the Savannah Lodge just outside Kidepo Valley NP. I was sitting in a chair on the patio and it was on a cactus nearby.

Illustration of ssp. tricolor from Birds of the World. 

Males and females are similar in plumage, but the male is larger. It has a dark brown head; brown upperparts; dull gray underparts; black bill, legs and feet; dark brown eye with dark eyering; and four of the ten subspecies have yellow undertail coverts, including ssp. tricolor which I saw. 

Range map from Birds of the World. 

Goliath Heron

One of the birds I really wanted to see in Uganda was a Goliath heron. I saw exactly one. I was on a boat ride along the White Nile between Paraa and Murchison Falls, shortly after we started, near the Paraa Lodge on the north side of the river. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

The Goliath heron is the world's largest heron. It reaches a height between 3 feet 11 inches and 5 feet. Males and females look similar with an overall plumage of slate gray and chestnut. The head, face, back and sides of the neck are chestnut. The chin, throat, foreneck and upper breast are white with black streaks across the foreneck and upper breast. The lower breast and belly are buff with black streaks. The back and upper wings are slate-gray with a chestnut shoulder patch at the bend of the wings when they are closed. The upper mandible is black and the lores and orbital areas are yellow with a greenish tinge. The eyes are yellow and the legs and feet are black. The heron that looks most like it, the purple heron, is much smaller. 

Range from Birds of the World.

Northern Gray-Headed Sparrow

The northern gray-headed sparrow has a pale gray head with a white moustache stripe, pale brown upperparts, whitish underparts and chestnut wings with a small white shoulder patch. Males and females are similar. There are three subspecies which differ in plumage tone, particularly as to the darkness of the head. It appears that I was seeing the ssp. ugandae. Ugandae is darker than the nominate ssp., with a gray-brown head, a well-defined white bib, and a whiter belly. 

Near Nkima Forest Lodge northwest of Entebbe, Uganda. This does have a darker head than the illustration below. 

This, and the next two photos, were taken in Kidepo Valley NP in northern Uganda. These photos were taken on the grass outside the Apoka Ranger Station.  

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range map from Birds of the World.