Golden-headed Cisticola

The golden-headed, or bright-capped, cisticola is a warbler of the family Cisticolidae found in Australia and thirteen Asian countries. It grows to 9–11.5 cm and is usually brown and cream, but in the breeding season the male has a gold-coloured body, a golden-orange head, a dull chin and a much shorter tail. Females and non-breeding males have a cream underside and brown upperside, and outside the breeding season the species mostly stays near the ground (Wikipedia, general species account).

It builds its nest in shrubs, grass tussocks and other vegetation no more than 3 m above the ground, out of plants and spider threads, and has been called the finest tailor of all birds. It is the most common cisticola in Australia and from India to the Philippines. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a resident of grassland with a Restricted range in India of about 37,900 km² and insufficient data on the long-term trend (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).