A COMMON resident from KZN through all of the North East of South Africa. They like acacia savanna, drier woodland and coastal scrub where they feed on insects and the nectar of aloes.
The cisticolas are found in pairs and small groups. They are highly vocal when breeding and readily give an alarm call cheee, cheee, cheee at any time to human intruders.
They are conspicuous when singing from the top of a tree.
The song is a loud repeated phrase of two to four high pitched notes followed by a bubbling trill – tsee tsee tsee tr- r- r- r-r .
Breeding takes place from October to March. The nest is a slightly oval ball of dry grass blades, plant down and spider web with a side entrance.
Usually three blotched white, green or pale blue eggs are laid. Incubation is unrecorded and they are nestlings for 14 days.
The isiZulu name is iNqoba and in Afrikaans die bosveld-tinktinkie.
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