Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Long-tailed Cisticola
Cisticola angusticauda
Long-tailed Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Long-tailed Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) is a member of the Cisticolidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 8.2 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Cisticolidae Cisticolas & Allies
- Genus Cisticola
- Species angusticauda
Where it lives
Southern Uganda and southwestern Kenya through Tanzania and Zambia to western Angola to southeastern DR Congo
Quick facts
- Weight
- 8.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Long-tailed Cisticola is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Long-tailed Cisticola is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Long-tailed Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF s Uganda and sw Kenya through Tanzania and Zambia to w Angola to se DR Congo.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 8.2 g, with a wing length of about 4.7 cm and a tail of around 5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 923,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Long-tailed Cisticola?
The Long-tailed Cisticola is a very small bird that weighs around 8.2 g.
Where does the Long-tailed Cisticola live?
The Long-tailed Cisticola is found across Africa with a range covering AF s Uganda and sw Kenya through Tanzania and Zambia to w Angola to se DR Congo, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Long-tailed Cisticola belong to?
The Long-tailed Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) belongs to the Cisticolidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Long-tailed Cisticola eat?
The Long-tailed Cisticola is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Long-tailed Cisticola migrate?
The Long-tailed Cisticola is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Long-tailed Cisticola endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Long-tailed Cisticola make?
1 real field recording of the Long-tailed Cisticola — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Long-tailed Cisticola's range?
The Long-tailed Cisticola has a mapped global range of about 923,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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