CreatureData

Croaking cisticola

Cisticola natalensis (A. Smith, 1843)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis) is a species in the family Cisticolidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13 g to 20.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis)
Photo: Andrew Smith · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the croaking cisticola

Weight
13 g – 20.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4 – 2.45src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the croaking cisticola live?

Not recorded

What is the croaking cisticola?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis) is an Old World warbler in the family Cisticolidae. It is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara. The croaking cisticola is an insectivorous passerine that is found in rank grassland habitats, often near swamps or water. Male cisticolas are polygamous; the female builds a discreet nest deep in the grasses, often binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant-down, cobwebs, and grass. The croaking cisticola's nest is a ball shape with a side entrance; 2-4 eggs are laid.

This is the largest cisticola. This warbler is grey-brown above, heavily streaked with black. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, pale-tipped and flicked frequently. It has a chestnut wing-panel and a heavy bill. It is very similar to other members of its genus. It is best distinguished from its many African relatives by its size and froglike croaking breep-breep song. The song is always the easiest identification criterion for this genus. These birds are more easily heard than seen, and because of their small size (about 14 cm (5.5 in)) not always easy to recognise, particularly outside the breeding season when they seldom emerge from their grasses.

From the Wikipedia article “Croaking cisticola” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Croaking_cisticola&oldid=1371777903), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the croaking cisticola endangered?

The croaking cisticola is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the croaking cisticola classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCisticolidae
  6. genusCisticola
  7. SpeciesCisticola natalensis (A. Smith, 1843)

Synonyms Drymoica natalensis, Pseudhemipteryx natalensis

Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • CRCIEnglish
  • GroottinktinkieAfrikaans
  • cistícola gralladoraCatalan
  • cistovník tlustozobýCzech
  • sisticola crawciogWelsh
  • BuskcisticolaDanish
  • StrichelcistensängerGerman
  • StrichelzistensängerGerman
  • kvaka cistikoloEsperanto
  • Cistícola de NatalSpanish
  • raakkujaherttuFinnish
  • Cisticole striéFrench
  • Cisticole striéeFrench
  • krupnokljuna šivalicaCroatian
  • tüskés szuharbújóHungarian
  • Cisticola gracidanteItalian
  • エリフセッカJapanese
  • raiboji cistikolaLithuanian
  • NatalgraszangerDutch
  • kvekkegressangerNorwegian
  • chwastówka kraczącaPolish
  • Boita-do-natalPortuguese
  • fuinha-de-natalPortuguese
  • fuinha-do-natalPortuguese
  • Пёстрая цистиколаRussian
  • cistovník škriekavýSlovak
  • buskcistikolaSwedish
  • Natal YelpazekuyruğuTurkish
  • таміка строкатаUkrainian
  • 呱叫扇尾鶯Chinese
  • 蛙声扇尾莺Chinese
  • 蛙聲扇尾鶯Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the croaking cisticola

Other species in the same genus Cisticola.

CompareCroaking cisticola vs Zitting cisticolaCroaking cisticola vs Golden-headed cisticolaCroaking cisticola vs Rock-loving cisticolaCroaking cisticola vs Red-faced cisticola

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the croaking cisticola?

An adult croaking cisticola weighs 13 g – 20.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the croaking cisticola endangered?

The croaking cisticola is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the croaking cisticola?

The croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis) belongs to the family Cisticolidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/croaking-cisticola

MLA

“Croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/croaking-cisticola.

BibTeX
@misc{croaking_cisticola_2026,
  title = {Croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/croaking-cisticola},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}