Red-pate Cisticola Cisticola ruficeps

A small but strong-billed cisticola that is rich gray-brown on the back and pale below. The back is plain in breeding plumage and heavily streaked in the non-breeding season. Note the black band and pale tips across the end of the tail. Found locally in savanna and dry woodland. Very similar to Dorst’s Cisticola, and best distinguished by song, but has a brighter rufous cap and whiter underparts. Also similar to Foxy and Rufous Cisticolas, but larger, with a rufous cap that contrasts with the gray-brown back. Perches up to sing a brief squeaky warbled phrase, thin and high-pitched.