Winding Cisticola

Winding Cisticola

Cisticola marginatus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Nairobi

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

128 Verified sightings at Nairobi
4,240 In all 24 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Winding Cisticola

The winding cisticola (Cisticola marginatus) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It has a scattered distribution across Africa south of the Sahara, and north of 11°S. The winding cisticola has several subspecies:

The Clements list (2017) and the Howard and Moore list (2014) lump the rufous-winged cisticola, Luapula cisticola, coastal cisticola and Ethiopian cisticola with the above subspecies as the winding cisticola Cisticola galactotes (sensu lato). The Clements list (2017) recognizes 11 subspecies.

Its natural habitats are tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps. Media related to Cisticola marginatus at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Cisticola marginatus at Wikispecies Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:28

Senegal · 2026

© Peter Boesman · XC1081143 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:20

Ivory Coast · 2017

© Étienne Leroy · XC350101 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:15

Benin · 2019

© Bram Piot · XC454661 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
2 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
3 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
4 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
5 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
6 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
7 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
8 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
9 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
10 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
11 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
12 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
13 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
14 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
15 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
16 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
17 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
18 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
19 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
20 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
22 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
23 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
24 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brazzaville 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
~50%
2 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~40%
3 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
4 Accra 🇬🇭 Ghana
~20%
5 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
6 Lagos 🇳🇬 Nigeria
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Winding Cisticola in Nairobi?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Winding Cisticola sighting in Nairobi on a given day, based on 128 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 234 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Winding Cisticola in Nairobi?

August

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Winding Cisticola in Nairobi on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. That is one of Nairobi's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 150 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Winding Cisticola?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Winding Cisticola sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Nairobi the best place to see a Winding Cisticola?

5th of 6

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Winding Cisticola sightings, Nairobi ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo, about 50%), Kigali (Rwanda, about 40%) and Kampala (Uganda, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Winding Cisticola live in Nairobi?

Same genus: Cisticola

The closest relatives of the Winding Cisticola that you can see in Nairobi (genus Cisticola, Cisticolas) are Singing Cisticola (about 30%) and Red-faced Cisticola (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Winding Cisticola sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Winding Cisticola is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi (128 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.

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