The Trilling cisticola is a resident bird that lives mainly in savannas and dry grasslands in Central and East Africa. It has a characteristic rusty-coloured crown. The underside is pale and the tail has a dark band near the tip. The song consists of a bright, rising trill that is often sung from an open perch. In English it is therefore called 'Trilling cisticola'. It prefers environments such as dry savanna, miombo woodland, grasslands with elements of rocky hills and shrubland. It is now also found on cultivated land and in areas with dense undergrowth.