Golden-headed Cisticola
Cisticola exilis (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
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 golden-headed cisticola (Cisticola exilis), also known as the bright-capped cisticola, is a species of warbler in the family Cisticolidae, found in Australia and thirteen Asian countries. Growing to 9–11.5 cm (3.5–4.5 in) long, it is usually brown and cream in colour, but has a different appearance during the mating season, with a gold-coloured body and a much shorter tail. It is an omnivore and frequently makes a variety of vocalizations. Known as the "finest tailor of all birds", it constructs nests out of plants and spider threads. It mates in the rainy season. It has a very large range and population, which is thought to be increasing.
Wikipedia contributors, Golden-headed cisticola; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:57:41.228683+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cisticola exilis (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
- Name authority
- (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
- Common name
- Golden-headed 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 exilis (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)
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 |
| 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 |
| Dambo CisticolaCisticola dambo Lynes, 1931 | 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=559328 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:5Z8F8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.