Cisticola lais
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The wailing cisticola (Cisticola lais) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
Lynes's cisticola of Uganda, Kenya and northern Tanzania is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of this species. The appearance of their eggs varies widely; they can be white, pale blue, spotted, or streaked. Wailing cisticola - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wailing Cisticola sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 166th most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wailing Cisticola in Pretoria on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wailing Cisticola sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Wailing Cisticola sightings, Pretoria has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Johannesburg (South Africa, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wailing Cisticola is recorded against all the birds logged in Pretoria (5 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.
