Cisticola cherina
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Madagascar cisticola (Cisticola cherina) is a species of bird in the cisticola family (Cisticolidae). It inhabits areas to the west of the ˞Indian Ocean. It forms a superspecies with the closely related zitting cisticola and the Socotra cisticola.
Madagascar cisticolas are small cisticolas, 11 cm long and weighing 8-11 g. Overall they have brownish streaked backs, wings and heads and pale undersides. There are different colour variants, one more brownish, the other paler grey. Its call is described as a loud explosive ticking.
It is found across the whole of Madagascar and the islands of Astove and Cosmoledo in the Seychelles. The Seychelles birds are suspected to be recent arrivals, although there are some early records of the species there. It occupies a range of open habitats, including savannah, grasslands, marshes, pastures, scrublands and forest edges and clearings. It is also found in a variety of human modified habitats, including paddy fields and croplands. The species is sedentary.
Madagascar cisticolas are insectivores. They eat crickets and other insects. They tend to forage near cacti. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 4 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Cisticola sighting in Antananarivo on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Cisticola in Antananarivo on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–May, July–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Antananarivo's wettest months, with about 380 mm of rain against 45 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar Cisticola sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Antananarivo, in our data
Antananarivo is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Madagascar Cisticola sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Cisticola is recorded against all the birds logged in Antananarivo (60 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
