In the foothills of the Nyika National Park in western Malawi, a singing Singing Cisticola (Cisticola cantans) of the subspecies muenzneri could be heard. A little later, the Singing Cisticola is hidden on an acacia branch. When the song of the Singing Cisticola is played from the tape, it does not keep the bird in cover and it comes very nicely exposed on a branch over a stream. The song is generally very important for Cisticolidae-birds. In particular, the members of the genus Cisticola produce a variety of note types, from hard, harsh, rasping tones and sweet trills to plaintive bleats and musical whistles. Their songs are almost always unique and often give the best indication of species determination. As they look quite the same in the genus, this is often the best clue to their identity. A curious visual feature that accompanies the song in many styles is a blackish palate that is well visible in the blog´s image. This coloration is generally acquired by males in the breeding season, along with changes in beak color. Scientists suspect that the high contrasts play a role in courtship or territorial issues.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places like this one to capture images not only of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. The nice image of the blog is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Picture Shop” very soon. Just give bird-lens.com a message, if bird-lens.com could serve you with an image needed before the new pictures are online.