At Bui National Park, this cisticola was recorded in tall grass beside riparian forest and in mature woodland. A 2007 paper also distinguishes it from a related cisticola by its crown and wing coloring.
A 2007 paper comparing a male Singing Cisticola specimen notes that Whistling Cisticola lacks that species' strongly contrasting reddish-brown crown and wing panel.
In the 2005 Bui National Park survey, Whistling Cisticolas occurred mainly in rank grass along the landward edge of riparian forest, and also in mature, rich woodland near an escarpment.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.