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Black-Lored Cisticola | Cisticola nigriloris
Zwartteugelgraszanger | Cistícola Enmascarado
The Black-Lored Cisticola is a large, chunky and richly coloured cisticola of montane rank growth, endemic to the highlands of south-western Tanzania, northern Malawi and north-eastern Zambia. A black patch on the lores and around the eye, a rufous crown and the loud duets of pairs and family parties make it easy to recognise within its restricted habitat.
Voice
Pairs duet loudly, in the breeding season with three penetrating, squeaky notes recalling an unoiled hinge; family parties produce a noisy chorus of squeaky and grating notes. The contact call is a grating cher.
Recording: Stein Ø. Nilsen — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
15–16 cm, heavily built; the male is larger than the female. The crown is bright rufous; a large black patch on the lores and around the eye stands out against the paler cheeks. The back is dark brown, plain or faintly streaked. The underparts are white with buff to ochre flanks. The long tail is dark with pale tips. The iris is reddish-brown, the bill and mouth black, the legs dull pink. The sexes are otherwise alike and seasonal change in plumage is slight. Juveniles are duller, with less distinct black lores.
Confusion species
Churring Cisticola Cisticola njombe shares the montane grassland of Nyika but is smaller, has a streaked back and no black lores and gives a churring song in display flight. Wailing Cisticola Cisticola lais has a heavily streaked back, no black on the face and a plaintive song, on open grassy slopes. Singing Cisticola Cisticola cantans also lives in montane rank growth but is smaller, with a clear white supercilium and a rufous wing panel. Red-Faced Cisticola Cisticola erythrops has a reddish face without black. The black lores combined with the rufous crown and heavy build are unique in the region.
Habitat
Tall grass with bracken and scattered bushes in montane grassland, along forest edges and in moist hollows and valleys, often near water, at about 1100–2400 m. It forages in pairs and family parties of up to nine birds low in the undergrowth for insects, often in the company of African Stonechats.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of southern Africa.
Range and movements
Within the region in northern Malawi (the Nyika Plateau and other northern highlands) and in north-eastern Zambia (the Zambian part of the Nyika Plateau and the Mafinga Hills). Beyond the region only in the highlands of south-western Tanzania.
- Resident
- Summer visitor (c. Oct–Mar)
- Passage (Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov)
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
All year; Nyika National Park is the place, for example in the bracken and rank growth along the forest edges around Chelinda. Listen for the noisy, squeaky duet; the parties are inquisitive and often come into view on bushes and bracken. Look for the black lores, which stand out even in poor light.
Conservation status
Not threatened. The range is small, but much of it lies within protected areas. Too frequent fires and overgrazing of montane grassland can degrade habitat locally.
Scientific name
Cisticola nigriloris | Shelley, 1897
Shelley described the species in 1897 and placed it straight away in the genus where it still stands. The genus Cisticola was introduced in 1829 by Kaup. Cisticola combines the Ancient Greek kisthos 'rock-rose' with the Latin colere 'to dwell'. nigriloris is Modern Latin for 'black-lored', from niger, 'black', and lorum, 'lore' — for the black stripe between bill and eye. The specimen the first description was based on came from Kombe, Misuku Hills, northern Malawi.