Fan-tailed Warbler
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Cisticola juncidis
Rare vagrants from Southern Europe with 15 records for Britain & 5 for Ireland, mainly March-November.
Breeds in North Africa, France, Spain & Portugal.
Also known as Zitting Cisitcola.
They are brown above, heavily streaked with black markings.
The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species.
The Adult Males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the Females, but there are no great differences between the sexes or the 17 geographical subspecies.
In the non-breeding season, they tend to skulk within the grass and can be hard to spot.