Bird guideGolden-headed Cisticola

Known as the "finest tailor of all birds", it constructs nests out of plants and spider threads.

⚠️Not listed

At a glance

FamilyCisticolas and Allies
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatInhabits grasslands of northern and eastern Australia, where perches prominently.
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from October to February.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Richard E. Webster

Range map

Range map

200approx hotspots
182674approx records
6states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Breeding adult males have orange-gold crown. Song a thin, high-pitched, drawn-out buzzing. Very similar Zitting Cisticola always has a streaked crown and a very different “tick-tick-tick” song but otherwise almost identical.

Behavior

Inhabits grasslands of northern and eastern Australia, where perches prominently. In similar grassland habitats, Tawny Grassbird has much longer tail.

Regional timing

Queensland
Peak: October to February71,130 records
Northern Territory
Peak: May to November11,651 records
Victoria
Peak: December to January48,403 records
New South Wales
Peak: October to February33,434 records
Western Australia
Peak: June to October5,599 records
South Australia
Peak: October to January1,691 records
Tasmania
Peak: April59 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: October to January10,589 records
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