The white-tailed cisticola is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Tanzania.
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Confined to seasonally inundated grasslands, sedge marshes, and reedbeds of the Kilombero floodplain. It favors tall, dense grasses and mosaics of sedges near standing or slowly flowing water. During the wet season it expands into freshly flooded meadows; in the dry season it remains near residual wetlands and river margins. Agricultural expansion, drainage, and frequent burning reduce suitable cover and fragment its habitat.
Altitude Range
200–500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The white-tailed cisticola was described to science only recently and is endemic to Tanzania’s Kilombero floodplain. Its distinctive white tail flashes in flight and helps separate it from other similar, small grassland cisticolas. The species is threatened by habitat loss from conversion of floodplain grasslands to rice fields, burning, and overgrazing.
Temperament
secretive but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief fluttering song-flights
Social Behavior
Typically found in pairs or small family groups within dense grass. Males perform display flights over territories during the wet season. The nest is a small, well-concealed structure low in tall grass or sedges, and both parents care for the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A repetitive, insect-like series of thin chips and buzzing notes delivered from a perch or during a bouncing display flight. The song is modest in volume but carries over open grassland, often given at dawn and dusk.
