Help requested with South African cisticola

[neilmoths]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help with ID on this bird, please?

I took these photos at the Ngala reserve in the North of Kruger Park, South Africa. I was advised by the rangers at the time that it was probably a Tawny-flanked Prinia, but have subsequently been advised that it is more likely to be a cisticola sp. The tail pattern looks distinctive, but I can't find any info on tail patterns.

The bird was quite high up in a tree and was stationary for several minutes.

Happy to provide more info if anyone needs it, but I'm not sure there is more I can add, any ID suggestions will be very gratefully received.

Neil Fletcher

[Hirundo]

Hi Neil, at first glance it looks good for Tawny-flanked Prinia - eg see undertail pattern here (http://www.charliesbirdblog.com/~charlie/tawnyfp/tawnyfp01.jpg) but then so do cisticolas have this tail pattern. I would expect it to look longer-tailed but maybe that is artifact of angle. Prinias are long tailed birds. Here are some more good photos (http://www.pbase.com/clive_temple/tawny_flanked_prinia) of this species.

Sorry, will look some more references up...

[Brian S]

Neil

I don't think this is a TfP, but Cisticolas are notoriously hard to ID, so your two face-on images give some clues, but not all. The unstreaked pale rufous crown would narrow things down, as might the prominent tail spots, but some important elements of the back and wing edges are not visible. Of the unmarked 'orange-crowned' and also pale-faced Cisticolas in SA, we would think of Tinkling (which can often be faintly grey-breasted), Chirping, Levaillant's, and a couple from the 'Winding' group - 'Rufous-winged' and 'Luapula'. Some can be dismissed on geographical grounds, and as Kruger is in the very NE I would probably suggest Levaillant's or possibly Tinkling.

Check out the link below for a good selection of images, but beware region variations.
http://birdquest.net/afbid/birdfamily.php?func=view&af_bg_id=29&af_bf_id=84

Brian S

[neilmoths]

Many thanks for the replies, and apologies for the delay in getting back to you (have been away).

Neil

[mike meidlinger]

Hi neil,

the bird you have photographed is a Rattling Cisticola...a common resident throughout Kruger (not so much in Pafuri, but it is certainly still present in large numbers, they are not quite the numbers you would see in an area such as Skukuza or Satara. They prefer drier habitats and are often found in mixed veld areas but can be close to water (but never in actual riverside vegetation. Levaillant's has a much greater affinity for reedbeds and immediate waterside thickets, it also has a very distinctive "shillrrrrrrrp" call compared to the strident but descending rattle-like " chew-chew-chew...trrrrrr" of Rattling. Tinkling Cisticola is a bird of the drier west with the closest place to Kruger were they occur regularkly being Polokwane Game Reserve which is over 200km away, this species is more typical of the Kalahari thornveld.
It is not always advisable to just a bird on habitat but these birds are mainly sedintary and with african cisticola's it often provides a good starting point to eliminate some unlikely contenders...however your bird completely fits the identification criteria for Rattling...

Kind Regards,

Mike

[Brian S]

Mike

Thanks for the response, you obviously have more experience than me. The Rattling I have seen in E Africa always seemed more richly coloured on the crown, with a hint of streaking, contrasting with brilliantly pale lores - perhaps a touch greyer below.

Anyway, I'm not doubting you at all as Cisticola ID is not for the faint-heaterd, so thanks again

Brian S

[mike meidlinger]

Hi Brian,

I hear what you are saying as this bird does look a bit pale (which explains your thoughts of Tinkling Cisticola) but there are two factors I think which are quite throwing...the first is that it is a bright day, much brighter than typical in the UK which can play havock with the deliticacy of camera equipment and the overall range in plumage of Rattling (this species in particular is rather variable) but this bird is pretty spot on for a pale-ish Rattler...

Kind Regards,

Mike