| Rock-loving cisticola | |
|---|---|
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| Cisticola aberrans minor,Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cisticolidae |
| Genus: | Cisticola |
| Species: | C. aberrans |
| Binomial name | |
| Cisticola aberrans (Smith, A, 1843) | |
Therock-loving cisticola (Cisticola aberrans), also known as thelazy cisticola, is a species of bird in the familyCisticolidae. It is widespread throughoutsub-Saharan Africa and is usually associated with rocky wooded terrain with interspersed patchy grass tussocks. It was formerly considered to beconspecific with theHuambo cisticola (Cisticola bailunduensis).
The rock-loving cisticola wasformally described and illustrated in 1843 by the Scottish zoologistAndrew Smith under thebinomial nameDrymoica aberrans based on specimens collected near "Port Natal" (nowDurban) in South Africa.[2][3] The specific epithet is fromLatinaberrans,aberrantis meaning "deviating" or "aberrant".[4] The rock-loving cisticola is now one of 53 cisticolas placed in thegenusCisticola that was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalistJohann Jakob Kaup.[5]
Sevensubspecies are recognised:[5]
The first three subspecies on the above list (admiralis,petrophilus andemini) have sometimes been considered as a separate species with the English name "rock-loving cisticola" while the other taxa were known as the "lazy cistola". TheHuambo cisticola (Cisticola bailunduensis) from Angola was formerly treated as another subspecies but is now considered to be a separate species based on the differences in vocalization, morphology and ecology.[5][6]
The rock-loving cisticola is a medium sized cisticola with an overall length of 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in). It has a plain brown back, a long slender tail, a grey-brown face, a whitish supercilium and a rufous crown. The underparts are whitish.[7]
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