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Cisticolas and Allies (Cisticolidae)

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) - HBW 11, p. 458

French: Cisticole des joncs German: Zistensänger Spanish: Cistícola Buitrón
Other common names: Fan-tailed Warbler (Europe), Common/Streaked/Streak-headed Cisticola

Taxonomy: Sylvia Juncidis Rafinesque, 1810, Roccella, Sicily.
Forms a superspecies with C. haesitatus and C. cherina; sometimes considered conspecific with former. Racial identity of birds in S New Guinea not yet certain; they show some characters of laveryi, but might belong to an as yet undescribed race. Eighteen subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • cisticola (Temminck, 1820) - W France, Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Is and NW Africa.
  • juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810) - S France E to Balkans, Greece, Turkey and Syria, also Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete and Egypt.
  • neuroticus R. Meinertzhagen, 1920 - Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and W Iran.

     See all 18 subspecies
  • cisticola (Temminck, 1820) - W France, Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Is and NW Africa.
  • juncidis (Rafinesque, 1810) - S France E to Balkans, Greece, Turkey and Syria, also Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete and Egypt.
  • neuroticus R. Meinertzhagen, 1920 - Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and W Iran.
  • uropygialis (Fraser, 1843) - Senegal E to Eritrea, Ethiopia, SW Arabia and N Kenya.
  • perennius Lynes, 1930 - E DRCongo, Uganda, Kenya and N Tanzania, including islands of Pemba, Zanzibar and Mafia.
  • terrestris (A. Smith, 1842) - Gabon and PRCongo, Angola, S DRCongo and S Tanzania S to South Africa.
  • cursitans (Franklin, 1831) - E Afghanistan and Pakistan E to N Myanmar and S China (W Yunnan), S to SE India and Sri Lanka (dry lowlands).
  • salimalii Whistler, 1936 - SW India (Kerala).
  • omalurus Blyth, 1851 - Sri Lanka (except low-lying dry areas).
  • malaya Lynes, 1930 - S Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Nicobar Is, Sumatra and W Java.
  • brunniceps (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) - S Korea, Japan (S from Honshu, including Ryukyu Is and Izu Is) and extreme N Philippines (Batan Is).
  • tinnabulans (Swinhoe, 1859) - SE China, Taiwan, Hainan, Indochina and Philippines (except Batan Is, Culion and Palawan).
  • nigrostriatus Parkes, 1971 - Culion and Palawan (W Philippines).
  • fuscicapilla Wallace, 1864 - E Java, Kangean Is and Lesser Sundas (E to Timor, Wetar, Kisar, Leti and Moa).
  • constans Lynes, 1938 - Sulawesi and adjacent islands (including Muna, Butung, Tukangbesi and Peleng).
  • leanyeri Givens & Hitchcock, 1953 - coastal areas of N Australia (extreme NE Western Australia and Northern Territory).
  • normani Mathews, 1914 - NW Queensland (S Gulf of Carpentaria), in N Australia.
  • laveryi Schodde & Mason, 1979 - E Gulf of Carpentaria and C Queensland coast, in NE Australia; also (possibly this race) S New Guinea.
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