It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is usually associated with rocky wooded terrain with interspersed patchy grass tussocks.

The rock-loving cisticola was formally described and illustrated in 1843 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith under the binomial name Drymoica aberrans based on specimens collected near "Port Natal" (now Durban) in South Africa.

[2][3] The specific epithet is from Latin aberrans, aberrantis meaning "deviating" or "aberrant".

[5] Seven subspecies are recognised:[5] The first three subspecies on the above list (admiralis, petrophilus and emini) have sometimes been considered as a separate species with the English name "rock-loving cisticola" while the other taxa were known as the "lazy cistola".

It has a plain brown back, a long slender tail, a grey-brown face, a whitish supercilium and a rufous crown.