The golden-headed cisticola, also known as the bright-capped cisticola, is a species of warbler in the family Cisticolidae, found in Australia and thirteen Asian countries. Growing to 9–11.5 cm (3.5–4.5 in) long, it is usually brown and cream in colour, but has a different appearance during the mating season, with a gold-coloured body and a much shorter tail. It is an omnivore and frequently makes a variety of vocalizations. Known as the "finest tailor of all birds", it constructs nests out of plants and spider threads. It mates in the rainy season. It has a very large range and population, which is thought to be increasing.
Region
Southeast Asia and northern Australia
Typical Environment
Found from the Indian Subcontinent and mainland Southeast Asia through the Greater Sundas to New Guinea’s vicinity and broadly across northern and eastern Australia. It occupies open grassy habitats, wet meadows, marsh edges, and reedbeds, and readily uses rice paddies and other agricultural wetlands. The species prefers areas with tall grasses or sedges for nesting and cover. Locally it also occurs in coastal swales and seasonally flooded savannas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the bright-capped cisticola, this tiny grassbird is famous for intricately sewing together leaves and grasses with spider silk to form its nest, earning the nickname “the finest tailor of all birds.” Breeding males show a shining golden head and a noticeably shortened tail, while non-breeding birds are more streaked and brown. It favors wet grasslands, sedgelands, and rice paddies, often perching atop stems to sing. The species breeds mainly in the rainy season and is common across much of Southeast Asia and northern/eastern Australia.
The golden-headed cisticola's cream-coloured underside
Temperament
secretive but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, undulating flights
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs within territories during the breeding season, with males performing aerial displays and song from grass tops. The male often constructs several nests, sewing leaves and grass blades with spider silk; the female lines the chosen nest. Breeding is closely tied to the rainy season, when grasses are tall and insects abundant.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a high, insect-like series of buzzy notes and sharp chips delivered from exposed perches or during display flights. Calls include crisp tiks and a sewing-machine-like trill, repeated persistently at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Non-breeding birds are brown above with fine streaking and pale buff underparts, with a relatively long, graduated tail. In breeding plumage the head and crown turn bright golden, the upperparts appear darker and less streaked, underparts become warmer buff, and the tail is conspicuously shorter.
Diet
Primarily small insects and other arthropods such as beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and spiders. It gleans prey from grass stems and seedheads, probes into tangled vegetation, and occasionally makes short sallies to catch flying insects. Small seeds may be taken opportunistically, especially outside the breeding season.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within dense grasses, sedges, and reeds in wetlands, wet meadows, and the margins of rice fields. Often forages low, moving mouse-like through cover, but also takes prey from exposed grass tips.
