Southern Malawi header: Lilian's Lovebirds

Systemmatic list - part 20: Cisticolas and Prinias

 

Lazy Cisticola (Rock-loving Cisticola) Cisticola aberrans [1]

3+ Dzalanyama 23rd.

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Lazy Cisticola, Dzalanyama, 23rd May 2011

 

Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chiniana [14+]

At least 1 Zomba Plateau 16th, 3 exit from Cape Maclear 19th and up to 10 Lengwe 20th-21st.

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Rattling Cisticolas, approach to Lengwe, 20th May 2011

 

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Rattling Cisticolas, near Chiradzulu (Zomba Plateau), 16th May 2011

 

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Rattling Cisticolas, south of Cape Maclear, 19th May 2011

 

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Rattling Cisticola, Lengwe, 21st May 2011

 

Rufous-winged Cisticola Cisticola (galactotes) galactotes [7]

5 Lake Chilwa 15th and 2 Liwonde 27th. The birds at Chilwa included 3 recently-fledged juveniles being fed by an adult.

This species is often treated as a race of Winding Cisticola (also known as Greater Black-backed Cisticola).

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Rufous-winged Cisticolas, Lake Chilwa, 15th May 2011

 

Neddicky (Piping Cisticola) Cisticola fulvicapillus (or Cisticola fulvicapilla) [2]

2 above Ku Chawe trout farm on Zomba Plateau 16th. I saw a similar-looking bird elsewhere on Zomba Plateau when I was here in 2008, which I identified at the time as Singing Cisticola - however I'm now thinking both that bird and this year's are more likely to have been Neddicky - please let me know if you agree or disagree.

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Neddicky, above Ku Chawe (Zomba Plateau), 16th May 2011

 

Fan-tailed Warbler (Zitting Cisticola) Cisticola juncidis [3]

4 between Dzalanyama and Lilongwe 24th and 2 Chongoni 25th.

 

Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava [9]

As with last trip, for what's meant to be one of the commonest passerines this species wasn't quite as conspicuous as I might have expected:

2 near Cape Maclear 18th, 2 between Mangochi and Liwonde 19th, 3 Lengwe 21st and 2 on the exit from Liwonde 27th.

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Tawny-flanked Prinias, along the exit from Liwonde, 27th May 2011 - there were at least 2 birds together here including one fairly obvious Tawny-flanked Prinia (top photos) and one bird (bottom photos) that seemed to be streaky-backed and which I therefore first assumed was a Cisticola sp. However no Cisticolas seem to have that head pattern or such a long tail, so presumably this was also a Prinia. Do juveniles have streaky backs?

 

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Tawny-flanked Prinia, near Cape Maclear, 18th May 2011

 

Red-winged Warbler (Red-winged Prinia) Heliolais erythropterus (or Prinia erythropterus) [2]

1 Dzalanyama 24th - a singing bird at the dambo.

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Red-winged Warbler, Dzalanyama, 24th May 2011

 

 

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