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Coastal cisticola

species of bird

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ12255851
Source-derived summary

The coastal cisticola (Cisticola haematocephalus), also known as the umbabird, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found on the coastal plain of East Africa.

Alternate common names are Mombasa black-backed cisticola.

Taxonomy

The coastal cisticola is monotypic. This taxon was split from the winding cisticola by the IOC and HBW, as were the rufous-winged cisticola, Luapula cisticola and Ethiopian cisticola. The Clements (2017) and Howard and Moore (2014) world lists consider these taxa as a single species, the winding cisticola C. galactotes (sensu lato).

Distribution and habitat

This species is found on the coastal plain of East Africa between 5°N to 10°S (southern Somalia to north-eastern Tanzania).

Its natural habitats are tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Coastal cisticola” as species of bird. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Coastal, cisticola and species.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2017, 2014—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Coastal, cisticola and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Coastal cisticola”, the useful work is to connect “species of bird” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12255851. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2017 and 2014.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Coastal cisticola”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Coastal cisticola primary sources, Coastal cisticola archive and Coastal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Coastal cisticola”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Coastal cisticola” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.