Wing-snapping Cisticola ( Cisticola ayresii, family: Cisticolidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Ayres' Cisticola
The Wing-snapping Cisticola (Latin name Cisticola ayresii) is described
in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 667 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 842 also a picture of the Wing-snapping Cisticola on page 912.
The Wing-snapping Cisticola belongs to the family of birds classified as
Cisticolidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Wing-snapping Cisticola is also known by these other
names: Crackling Cloud Cisticola, Crackling Cloudscraper, Ayres' Cloud
Warbler, Ayres' Cloud Cisticola.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Wing-snapping Cisticola was called the Ayres' Cisticola
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Wing-snapping Cisticola is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Wing-snapping Cisticola in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Wing-snapping Cisticola : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Wing-snapping Cisticola is an extremely small bird about half the size of a house sparrow. The height of the Wing-snapping Cisticola is about 10 cms and its weight is about 10 gms
The male and female Wing-snapping Cisticola have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are blue.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Wing-snapping Cisticola feeds on the ground and in foliage mainly
Invertebrates
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Wing-snapping Cisticola is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Cisticola ayresii will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Wing-snapping Cisticola is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 2 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Wing-snapping Cisticola are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You can see Wing-snapping Cisticola in flocks. The bird will often also be seen singly.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Igqaza/Unogqaza/Uqandiliso
Zulu ... iBhoyibhoyi
Afrikaans ...Kleinste Klopkloppie
German ... Zwergpinkpink
Portuguese ... Fuinha de Ayres
French ... Cisticole gratte-nuage
Dutch ... Dwerggraszanger
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 667
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
