Bulletin 337 - South Africa #14 - Part 1 - Cisticolas, Finches,

I had an amazing 2 week trip to South Africa and scored almost 280 new species of birds as well as fantastic mammals and a few reptiles. My guide Casper Badenhorst was outstanding. You can see his web site here. He can be contacted through the web site or if you want his email it is info@birdingandwildlifesafaris.com. I recommend him highly as he showed me so many rare birds and animals. I will use him again when I go to Southern Africa.

The cisticolas are a family of small birds mostly in Africa. Some are plain LBJs but others are colorful. The LBJs are best Ided by voice. The 3.75" Wing-snapping Cisticola (Cisticola ayresii) has a rufous crown, and the male has the dark mustache. The tail is very short.

Wing-snapping Cisticola

The 4" Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) had black streaked wings and on crown.

Zitting Cisticola

The 5.5" Lazy Cisticola (Cisticola aberrans) has a rufous cap, plain back and longer tail.

Lazy Cisticola

The 6" Rattling Cisticola (Cisticola chiniana) has a streaked back and rufous on the head and wings.

Rattling Cisticola

The 6" Croaking Cisticola (Cisticola natalensis) is the largest cisticola and has dark wings and crown and a black bill.

Croaking Cisticola

The last named cisticola was the easiest for a beginner there like me to ID after I saw one. The 5" Levaillant's Cisticola (Cisticola tinniens) has rufous wings and crown and a black streaked back.

Levaillant's Cisticola

The 4.5" Neddicky (Cisticola fulvicapilla) is the same genus. I do not know where that peculiar name, neddicky, comes from. 

Neddicky

Prinias are members of this family with long tails, often cocked up. The 5" Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava) has a wide white line above the eye.

Tawny-flanked Prinia

The 6" Drakensberg Prinia (Prinia hypoxantha) is a drab prinia in the mountains, but he does have a streaked breast.

Drakensberg Prinia

The 4" Burnt-necked Eremomla (Eremomela usticollis) is gray above, beige below and a rusty breast band.

Burnt-necked Eremomla

Continue to Part 2