This small, seldom seen warbler just touches the eastern margins of the Zambezi region where it is found on the edges of wetlands (such as streams and marshes) in reeds or long grasses. It occurs on the Zambezi River eastern floodplain, the Chobe River and the lower Kwando River at a very low reporting rate of 3%. It occupies an area of just 3,100 km2, of which 15% is located in protected areas of the Nkasa Rupara (Mamili) National Park.