Golden-headed Cisticola
Cisticola exilis· 扇尾莺科(1 photos)
Golden-headed Cisticola
9-11.5 cm. Spirited diminutive dweller of tall ground-cover in moist situations. Bill grey-brown above, pink on sides; eye yellow-brown; legs long, pinkish. Male, breeding: head/neck bright, plain golden buff; upperparts golden buff; back and wing coverts heavily streaked black; underparts whitish, flanks/underparts washed rich buff; tail short, blackish, tipped buff. Non-breeding male and female: less golden; crown streaked blackish; tail longer. Immature: underparts washed yellowish. Breeding males call incessantly from grass tops, fences, telephone wires; flutter up in bouncing song-flights in wide, high circuits over territory before dropping to cover. Unobtrusive when not breeding.
- Other name
- Barleybird; Cornbird; Golden-headed Fantail Warbler; Tailorbird.
- Similar Species
- Zitting Cisticola.
- Voice
- perched and in flight, breeding males utter incessant, far-carrying insect-like 'bhzzt' followed by liquid 'lek' or 'pillek', or 'WEEZ, wit-wit-wit', varying locally; also diminutive high-pitched chatterings, scolds.
- Habitat
- shrubs, tall grass, rushes, other rank herbage around wetlands; river flats, sewage farms, drainages, wet neglected paddocks; floodplains, samphire on margins of saltmarshes; roadsides; overgrown margins of irrigation channels; irrigated pastures, grain crops, blackberries.
- Breeding
- Sept.-March.
- Nest
- small, domed, with side entrance; of fine grass, plant down, bound with spiders' web, several broad living green leaves stitched in with spiders' web, plant fibre (hence 'Tailorbird'); under 1 m in low shrub, rush, reeds, tussock, grapevine.
- Eggs
- 3-4; blue, spotted, dotted, blotched red-brown.
- Range & Status
- coastal n., e. and se. Aust. and coastal islands (incl. Gt Barrier Reef): from Pilbara/Kimberley regions (WA), to mouth of Murray R. (SA); also King I., Bass Strait; vagrant Tas. Widespread to c. 300 km inland in suitable habitat, e.g. Murray/Murrumbidgee irrigation systems in NSW Riverina. Common. Sedentary; part-migratory. Also Bismarck Arch.-PNG to Indonesia, Philippines, se. Asia, s. China, India.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Cisticola exilis alexandrae 2. Cisticola exilis lineocapilla 3. Cisticola exilis diminutus 4. Cisticola exilis exilis
