CreatureData

Rattling cisticola

Cisticola chiniana (A. Smith, 1843)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana) is a species in the family Cisticolidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13.3 g to 17.3 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana)
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the rattling cisticola

Weight
13.3 g – 17.3 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.2 – 3.35src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the rattling cisticola live?

Not recorded

What is the rattling cisticola?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae which is native to Africa south of the equator, and parts of East Africa. It is a common to abundant species in open savanna and scrubland habitats, whether in arid, moist or upland regions. Especially during summer, it is highly conspicuous due to its strident and repetitive call-notes from prominent perches.

From the Wikipedia article “Rattling cisticola” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rattling_cisticola&oldid=1372365923), 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 rattling cisticola endangered?

The rattling 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 rattling cisticola classified?

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

Synonyms Cisticola chinianus, Cisticola chinianus chinianus, Drymoica chiniana, Threnodytops chiniana

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • RACIEnglish
  • BosveldtinktinkieAfrikaans
  • cistícola grinyolantCatalan
  • cistovník pokřovníCzech
  • sisticola rhuglogWelsh
  • AkaciecisticolaDanish
  • Rotscheitel-ZistenängerGerman
  • Rotscheitel-ZistensängerGerman
  • RotscheitelcistensängerGerman
  • grinca cistikoloEsperanto
  • Cistícola cascabelSpanish
  • akasiaherttuFinnish
  • akaasiaherttuFinnish
  • Cisticole grinçantFrench
  • Cisticole à crécellesFrench
  • Cisticole grinçanteFrench
  • bjelogrla šivalicaCroatian
  • vöröskoronás szuharbújóHungarian
  • Cisticola raganellaItalian
  • アフリカセッカJapanese
  • rusvapetė cistikolaLithuanian
  • RatelgraszangerDutch
  • torngressangerNorwegian
  • chwastówka rechoczącaPolish
  • fuinha-chocalheiraPortuguese
  • Рыжеплечая цистиколаRussian
  • Рыжеплечная цистиколаRussian
  • cistovník hnedotemennýSlovak
  • Šivačica čavrljankaSerbian
  • akaciacistikolaSwedish
  • Rendeci YelpazekuyrukTurkish
  • таміка іржастоголоваUkrainian
  • 巧扇尾莺Chinese
  • 巧扇尾鶯Chinese
  • 輕捷扇尾鶯Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the rattling cisticola

Other species in the same genus Cisticola.

CompareRattling cisticola vs Zitting cisticolaRattling cisticola vs Golden-headed cisticolaRattling cisticola vs Rock-loving cisticolaRattling cisticola vs Red-faced cisticola

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the rattling cisticola?

An adult rattling cisticola weighs 13.3 g – 17.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the rattling cisticola endangered?

The rattling 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 rattling cisticola?

The rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana) 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.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rattling-cisticola

MLA

“Rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/rattling-cisticola.

BibTeX
@misc{rattling_cisticola_2026,
  title = {Rattling cisticola (Cisticola chiniana)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/rattling-cisticola},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}