Cisticola natalensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The croaking cisticola (Cisticola natalensis) is an Old World warbler in the family Cisticolidae. It is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara. The croaking cisticola is an insectivorous passerine that is found in rank grassland habitats, often near swamps or water. Male cisticolas are polygamous; the female builds a discreet nest deep in the grasses, often binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant-down, cobwebs, and grass. The croaking cisticola's nest is a ball shape with a side entrance; 2-4 eggs are laid.
This is the largest cisticola. This warbler is grey-brown above, heavily streaked with black. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, pale-tipped and flicked frequently. It has a chestnut wing-panel and a heavy bill. It is very similar to other members of its genus. It is best distinguished from its many African relatives by its size and froglike croaking breep-breep song. The song is always the easiest identification criterion for this genus. These birds are more easily heard than seen, and because of their small size (about 14 cm (5.5 in)) not always easy to recognise, particularly outside the breeding season when they seldom emerge from their grasses. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 7 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 15 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 16 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 18 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 19 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 20 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 21 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Croaking Cisticola sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 208 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 255th most-seen of the 464 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Croaking Cisticola in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain against almost none in August.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Croaking 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.
17th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Croaking Cisticola sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 50%), Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Cisticola
The closest relatives of the Croaking Cisticola that you can see in Kruger National Park (genus Cisticola, Cisticolas) are Rattling Cisticola (about 40%), Red-faced Cisticola (about 20%) and Zitting Cisticola (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Croaking Cisticola is recorded against all the birds logged in Kruger National Park (208 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.
