Behaviour This species is a sedentary endemic of Madagascar (Taylor and van Perlo 1998), its breeding season stretching between October and September (del Hoyo et al. 1996). It is territorial both during the breeding and non-breeding seasons (Taylor and van Perlo 1998), and lives alone or in solitary pairs (Langrand 1990). Habitat The species frequents a wide variety of habitats, such as grasslands in clearings and on the edges of undisturbed and degraded rain forests, dense cultivation, and large fern, thick grass and Philippia (Ericaceae) scrublands. It is also common in marshes with long grass, reeds and sedges, and in rice paddy-fields (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Taylor and van Perlo 1998). Diet The diet of this species is little known, with only insects and seeds being recorded (Langrand 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1996). Breeding site The nest is a woven ball of wide grass blades constructed on the ground in dense grass (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Taylor and van Perlo 1998).