Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810)

10–12 cmLength6.8 gWeight

This small warbler has rufous upperparts with black markings and a short, rounded tail with white at the tip, which it often wags.

Busiest months: April–May and September–October · Most records: Spain, Portugal, India

Looks like Golden-headed Cisticola

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Rufous upperparts with black markings
Short, rounded tail with white spots at the tip
White to sandy-yellow underparts
No golden collar around the neck

Male, female and young

The male has fewer crown streaks and more back markings than the female, but the sexes differ little.

Voice

Evenly spaced “zit – zit – zit”; in East Asia, a two-note “zit zit – zit zit”.

Similar species

Golden-headed Cisticola

Zitting Cisticola lacks a collar around the neck, distinguishing it from Golden-headed Cisticola.

Where and when it's recorded

Zitting Cisticola has been recorded at 2,062 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 87 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain4,507 records
Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira – área geralPortugal4,012 records
Lagoa dos SalgadosPortugal2,714 records

More places

Marjal dels Moros – ÁreaSpain2,195 records
Baruipur MarshesIndia1,904 records
Paul da BarrocaPortugal1,853 records
Barrinha de EsmorizPortugal1,808 records
La Janda – ÁreaSpain1,800 records
RNL Estuário do Douro – área geralPortugal1,787 records
Ria de Alvor – área geralPortugal1,786 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Spain Portugal India China Thailand South Africa Sri Lanka Greece

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The zitting cisticola, formerly also fan-tailed warbler or streaked fantail warbler (Cisticola juncidis), is a widely distributed Old World warbler in the family Cisticolidae, whose breeding range includes western and southern Europe, Africa outside the deserts and rainforest, and southern Asia down to northern Australia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Zitting Cisticola?

The Zitting Cisticola is about 10–12 cm long and weighs around 6.8 g.

Where does the Zitting Cisticola live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Africa, Oriental, Australasia: southwestern Europe, Africa through South Asia to eastern China, Japan, Philippines, Wallacea and northern, eastern Australia. It is most often recorded in Spain, Portugal and India.

When is the best time to see the Zitting Cisticola?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April, May, September and October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Zitting Cisticola endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Zitting Cisticola as Least Concern.

What does the Zitting Cisticola eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Zitting Cisticola in?

It belongs to the family Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 10–12 cm
Weight: 6.8 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 49 mm
Tail: 40 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Africa, Oriental, Australasia: southwestern Europe, Africa through South Asia to eastern China, Japan, Philippines, Wallacea and northern, eastern Australia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2

Cisticola juncidis cursitans e Afghanistan to n Myanmar and s China and s to se India and dry lowlands of Sri Lanka
Cisticola juncidis tinnabulans se China and Taiwan (China) to Thailand, Indochina and Philippines (except Batanes, Palawan group and Sulu Arch.)