Cisticola exilis
The Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis) is a petite and vibrant Old World warbler, measuring a mere 9-11 cm in length and weighing 6-10 grams, making it one of the smallest of its genus. Breeding males are particularly striking with their bright golden-yellow crown and nape, often extending to the ear coverts, contrasting sharply with a rufous, black-streaked back and whitish underparts. A key identification feature in breeding males is their unusually short, rounded tail, which elonga...
Primarily found in tall, moist grasslands, reedbeds, sugarcane fields, rice paddies, and other open, wet cultivation areas, typically at low to moderate elevations up to 1200 meters.
Consists mainly of small insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and flies, as well as spiders, typically gleaned from vegetation or caught in short aerial pursuits.
These active, diurnal cisticolas are often heard before they are seen, frequently delivering their buzzy calls from dense cover or during elaborate display flights. Males engage in energetic "bouncing ball" aerial displays over their territories, ascending rapidly with buzzing wings before parach...
The Golden-headed Cisticola boasts an exceptionally wide distribution across the Indo-Malayan and Australasian biogeographic realms, making it one of the most widespread cisticolas. Its breeding range extends from northeastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and southern China through mainland Southeas...
Least Concern
- The breeding male Golden-headed Cisticola possesses one of the shortest tails relative to its body size among all passerines, believed to enhance its acrobatic display flights. - Its intricate, dome-shaped nest is often described as a "tailor's nest" due to the way it expertly stitches living g...