Neddicky (Cisticola fulvicapilla) [XC540673]
by Tony Archer from Nala Local Municipality, Lejweleputswa, Free State, South Africa (call)
Neddicky (Cisticola fulvicapilla) [XC392397]
by Peter Boesman from South of Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa (song)
Subspecies
Neddicky (Cisticola fulvicapilla) and Tabora Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) are retained as species contra Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993) who include angusticauda as a subspecies of Neddicky (Cisticola fulvicapilla). Gender agreement of fulvicapilla follows David and Gosselin (2002a).
Forms a superspecies with Tabora Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) and often treated as conspecific, and some evidence of hybrids in eastern and central Zambia, but the two differ in wing formula, and they occur in different habitats and have subtly different songs in area of overlap in western Zambia. Both may be closely allied to Rufous Cisticola (Cisticola rufus) and Foxy Cisticola (Cisticola troglodytes). Geographical variation largely clinal, but southern populations are slate-grey below, whereas those farther northern are creamy white or buffy.
The following 9 subspecies are recognised:
dispar Sousa, 1887 - South-eastern Gabon, southern PRCongo, extreme south-western DRCongo, central Angola and north-western Zambia.
muelleri Alexander, 1899 - Cand eastern Zambia, Malawi, southern Tanzania, Mozambique (south to R Save) and north-eastern Zimbabwe.
hallae Benson, 1955 - Southern Angola, south-western Zambia, north-eastern Namibia, northern Botswana and western Zimbabwe.
dexter Clancey, 1971 - Central Zimbabwe, south-eastern Botswana and savanna areas of north-eastern South Africa.
ruficapilla (Smith, A, 1842) - Grassland areas on South African plateau.
lebombo (Roberts, 1936) - Southern Mozambique, eastern South African lowveld and eastern Swaziland.
fulvicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) - Eastern South Africa (interior of KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Cape) and Lesotho.
dumicola Clancey, 1983 - Eand central coast of South Africa from northern KwaZulu-Natal south to George.
silberbauer (Roberts, 1919) - Winter-rainfall area of south-western South Africa (east to George).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet