What sort of a name is Zitting Cisticola?
I’m in Italy for a couple of weeks and, although I’ve got work to do, I’m having a few trips out to Il Pratone di Torre Spaccata. It’s stunning here, with the rain and sunshine making a magnificent meadow of flowers. There are noisy birds displaying over the bloom-strewn land. They are Zitting Cisticolas.
I couldn’t quite believe it when I read the name Zitting Cisticola. I mean, what? The name Streaked Fantailed Warbler seems far more sensible.
Gorgeous, aren’t they?
They’re also desperately annoying, with the male’s incessant ‘zitting’ call and zig-zag flight, touring his territory. I can see where the nest he’s built is, hidden suspended in tall grass. His mate will line it and lay her eggs in it if she chooses him.
I hope they’ll make lots of new Streaked Fantailed Warblers.
More from il Pratone di Torre Spaccata
There’s a beetle-shaped hole in our lives In the UK the species Trichodes alvearius and another, the Bee-Eating Beetle, Trichodes apiarius, “Have not been seen since the 19th century and are… read more
“Gruccione!” We're walking in Broken Tower Meadow, il Pratone di Torre Spaccata when the Puffin Whisperer says "Gruccione". I recognise the… read more
I’m a big fan of garden pests Whenever I search the Internet for an invertebrate, unless it's rare, there's always a result which is "How do I… read more
Thousands of orchids as far as the eye can see Walking around il Pratone di Torre Spaccata in Rome we spot a Long-Lipped Tongue Orchid, Serapias vomeracea. Then we spot… read more
‘Shrike’ she shrieks! We're walking in il Pratone di Torre Spaccata (Broken Tower Meadow) in Rome when I hear the Puffin Whisperer shout… read more
Wrens’ nest Last year I found a Wren's nest, high in a tree in a wasteland in Rome. It was in an… read more
Gheppio In Italian, the Common Kestrel is known as Gheppio, which is from the Latin, originally from the Ancient Greek for… read more
Journeying south to spring and north to winter I've spend a large part of my adult life travelling from the south of England, and more lately from the… read more
The Red-tailed Chimneysweep There's a beautiful male Black Redstart in the Pratone di Torre Spaccata here in Rome. Unfortunately, this whole area is… read more