Behaviour This species is sedentary, but may make local movements when grassland habitats dry out or are burnt (del Hoyo et al. 1996). It may also make altitudinal movements in South Africa in relation to seasonal fluctuations in the number of invertebrates (del Hoyo et al. 1996). The species generally breeds during the rains (del Hoyo et al. 1996), nesting in solitary territorial pairs (and remaining territorial even during the non-breeding season) (Taylor and van Perlo 1998), and forages diurnally (del Hoyo et al. 1996). Habitat The species inhabits small streams and marshy patches in dry upland or montane grassland with long or short grass, bracken, brambles or Protea, and near forest edges, in fields of crops (e.g. lucerne and millet) (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Urban et al. 1996), and occasionally in Psoralea-Osmitopsis fynbos in South Africa (Taylor and van Perlo 1998). It requires dense cover with clear ground for foraging (del Hoyo et al. 1996). Diet Its diet consists of insects (such as beetles, cockroaches, adult and larval Lepidoptera, ants, termites, grasshoppers, crickets and flies), earthworms, small spiders and vegetable matter such as grass and sedge seeds (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Taylor and van Perlo 1998). Breeding site The nest is a bowl of dry grass and rootlets built into a grass tuft (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Urban et al. 1996).