LC
Desert Cisticola Cisticola aridulus



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 23,800,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend increasing - suspected -
Generation length 2.19 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as common (del Hoyo et al. 2006). The population is suspected to be increasing in line with a possible range expansion linked with agricultural development (del Hoyo et al. 2006).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be increasing in line with a possible range expansion linked with agricultural development (del Hoyo et al. 2006).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Angola extant native yes
Botswana extant native yes
Burkina Faso extant native yes
Chad extant native yes
Djibouti extant native yes
Eritrea extant native yes
Eswatini extant native yes
Ethiopia extant native yes
Kenya extant native yes
Lesotho extant native yes
Mali extant native yes
Mauritania extant native yes
Mozambique extant native yes
Namibia extant native yes
Niger extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes
Senegal extant native yes
Somalia extant native yes
South Africa extant native yes
Sudan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native yes
Zambia extant native yes
Zimbabwe extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable resident
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry major resident
Savanna Dry major resident
Altitude 0 - 1800 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Desert Cisticola Cisticola aridulus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/desert-cisticola-cisticola-aridulus on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.