Cisticola aberrans
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The rock-loving cisticola (Cisticola aberrans), also known as the lazy cisticola, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is usually associated with rocky wooded terrain with interspersed patchy grass tussocks. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Huambo cisticola (Cisticola bailunduensis).
The rock-loving cisticola was formally described and illustrated in 1843 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith under the binomial name Drymoica aberrans based on specimens collected near "Port Natal" (now Durban) in South Africa. The specific epithet is from Latin aberrans, aberrantis meaning "deviating" or "aberrant". The rock-loving cisticola is now one of 53 cisticolas placed in the genus Cisticola that was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup.
Seven subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rock-loving Cisticola sighting in Hwange National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 297th most-seen of the 308 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.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rock-loving Cisticola in Hwange National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Hwange National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rock-loving Cisticola sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Rock-loving Cisticola sightings, Hwange National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 10%), Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same genus: Cisticola
The closest relatives of the Rock-loving Cisticola that you can see in Hwange National Park (genus Cisticola, Cisticolas) are Rattling Cisticola (about 20%) and Zitting Cisticola (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rock-loving Cisticola is recorded against all the birds logged in Hwange National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
