The bubbling cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
Region
Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily in northern Angola and adjacent southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It favors dry to seasonally moist savanna and lowland grasslands with scattered shrubs. Birds are frequently found along the edges of miombo-type woodland, in fallow fields, and in areas recovering after grass fires. It avoids dense closed forest but will use grassy clearings and road verges.
Altitude Range
unknown
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for the male’s distinctive bubbling, gurgling display song, which is often the easiest way to locate it in tall grass. Like many cisticolas, it builds a finely woven, domed grass nest low in vegetation. It often performs parachuting song-flights over its territory and quickly recolonizes recently burned grasslands as new shoots emerge.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with fluttering display flights
Social Behavior
Typically holds small territories in pairs during the breeding season, with males singing persistently from exposed grass stems. Nests are woven low in dense grass, and both adults attend the nest. Outside breeding, may be encountered in loose association with other small grassland birds but does not form large flocks.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A distinctive liquid, bubbling series of notes that accelerate and then tail off, often delivered during a short aerial display. Also gives dry ticks and thin chips from perches within tall grass.
