Cisticola marginatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 11 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 17 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 18 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 19 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 20 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 21 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 22 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 23 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 24 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Winding Cisticola sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 231st most-seen of the 243 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 and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Winding Cisticola in Meru National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June, September and November–January, the lowest months. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
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.
20th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Winding Cisticola sightings, Meru National Park ranks 20th at under 5%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 50%), Semuliki National Park (Uganda, about 30%) and Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Cisticola
The closest relatives of the Winding Cisticola that you can see in Meru National Park (genus Cisticola, Cisticolas) are Ashy Cisticola (about 40%), Tiny 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 Winding Cisticola is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru 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.
