It is a common to abundant species in open savanna and scrubland habitats, whether in arid, moist or upland regions.

Especially during summer, it is highly conspicuous due to its strident and repetitive call-notes from prominent perches.

[2] It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

It is, however, also commonly found in miombo and mopane woodland, and is one of the commonest bird species on the Mozambican coastal plain.

[3] They build a ball-shaped nest of very coarse grass blades, which is lined on the inside with fine plant material.