Family Cisticolas and allies (Cisticolidae)
Vulnerable
Aberdare Cisticola (Cisticola aberdare)
Taxonomy
French: Cisticole des Aberdare German: Aberdarezistensänger Spanish: Cistícola de los Aberdare
Taxonomy:
Cisticola robusta aberdare
Lynes
, 1930,Aberdare Mountains, Kenya
.Distribution:
Highlands of WC Kenya on each side of Rift Valley (Molo, Mau Narok, Aberdare Mts, and possibly Kinangop Plateau).
Descriptive notes
12–15 cm; 18–24 g. A large, stocky cisticola with heavy bill, plain face, boldly striped upperparts, and medium-long graduated tail. Has buffy face, ear-coverts... read more
Voice
Male song a varied series of short trills and churring calls, usually preceded by several notes,... read more
Habitat
Moorland above 3000 m in Aberdare; moist montane grassland above 2300 m at Mau Narok and Molo,... read more
Food and feeding
Diet mainly insects, including beetles (Coleoptera) and flies (Diptera). Forages by gleaning vegetation and on the ground.
Breeding
Nesting recorded Jan–May and Aug–Nov. Probably monogamous; solitary, territorial. Nest built by both sexes, a flimsy ball, side... read more
Movements
Little known; presumably mostly resident.
Status and conservation
VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in Kenyan Mountains EBA. Population crudely estimated to be in the range 50,000–10,000 individuals, and decreasing.... read more
Sometimes treated as conspecific with C. robustus (which see). Monotypic.