The zitting cisticola is a small bird found
in southern Europe, Africa, and southern Asia its range extending to northern Australia Europe its range, like that of many other species of
birds, insects and plants, is expanding northwards probably as a result of
global warming.
It is Malta
It is a small brown insect-eating bird. During
the breeding season this bird is easy to see. The males spend a lot of time in
the air displaying energetically. During the display the male flies around its
territory constantly flying up and down and ‘zitting’ loudly. During winter
they tend to sulk in the vegetation and to keep themselves well hidden. There
is little difference between males and females and when the males are not
displaying it is difficult to tell the two sexes apart.
Up to a few years ago the zitting cisticola
was known as the fan-tailed warbler. Its name was changed to bring it in line
with the other cisticola species to which it is related and to avoid confusion
with an American bird which is also known as the fan-tailed warbler. Cisticolas
are no longer considered as warblers and have been assigned a family of their
own.
In Maltese it is known as bufula tal-imrewħa.
The male starts to build one or more nests
and invites females to finish his work. Males can be polygamous or monogamous.
The female then lays three to six eggs which hatch within ten days. As soon as
the young hatch the females leaves the male’s territory and probably breeds
with another male. The males tend to stay within the same territory. Young
birds have been recorded breeding in the same season during which they were
born.
Cisticolas are
African birds. Of the 45 cisticola species only two do not live in Africa; one
is found in Madagascar and
the other in Asia and Australia
This article was published in The Times of Malta on 10 April 2014.
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