Cisticola

Cisticola is a genus of small insectivorous birds formerly classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae, but now usually considered to be in the separate family Cisticolidae, along with other tropical and southern warbler genera. The name is used as both the scientific and vernacular names; it can be pronounced either kis-ti-cola (classical Latin) or sis-tic-ola (ecclesiastical Latin). Genetic data suggests the family is quite closely related to the swallows and martins, the bulbuls, and the white-eyes. The genus contains over 50 species, of which only two are not found in Africa, one in Madagascar and the other from Asia to Australasia. They are also sometimes called fan-tailed warblers due to their habit of conspicuously flicking their tails, or tailor-birds because of their nests.

==Taxonomy== The genus was described by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1829. The type species, Sylvia cisticola by tautonymy, is now treated as a subspecies of Cisticola juncidis. The name Cisticola is from Ancient Greek κίσθος kisthos or κίστος kistos, "rock-rose (Cistus)", and Latin colere, "to dwell".