Zitting Cisticola
Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The zitting cisticola, formerly also fan-tailed warbler or streaked fantail warbler (Cisticola juncidis), is a widely distributed Old World warbler in the family Cisticolidae, whose breeding range includes western and southern Europe, Africa outside the deserts and rainforest, and southern Asia down to northern Australia. A small bird found mainly in grasslands, it is best identified by its rufous rump; in addition it lacks any gold on the collar and the brownish tail is tipped with white. During the breeding season males have a zigzagging flight display accompanied by regular "zit" calls that give it its English name. They build their pouch nest suspended within a clump of grass.
Wikipedia contributors, Zitting cisticola; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:37:13.804105+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810)
- Name authority
- (Rafinesque, 1810)
- Common name
- Zitting Cisticola
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cisticolidae
- Genus
- Cisticola
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCisticolidae Sundevall, 1872
- genusCisticola Kaup, 1829
- speciesCisticola juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cisticola. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cisticola guinea Lynes, 1930 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Socotra CisticolaCisticola haesitatus (P. L. Sclater & Hartlaub, 1881) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chubb's CisticolaCisticola chubbi Sharpe, 1892 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cisticola lugubris (Rüppell, 1840) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-winged CisticolaCisticola galactotes (Temminck, 1821) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cisticola haematocephalus Cabanis, 1868 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hunter's CisticolaCisticola hunteri Shelley, 1889 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rock-loving CisticolaCisticola emini Reichenow, 1892 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Whistling CisticolaCisticola lateralis (Fraser, 1843) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cisticola chiniana (A. Smith, 1843) | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ashy CisticolaCisticola cinereolus Salvadori, 1888 | CisticolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=559335 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5Z8F6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.