Taita Fiscal
Lanius dorsalis
The Taita Fiscal (Lanius dorsalis) is a rare shrik found in 6 countries, weighing about 50 g. The Taita fiscal or Teita fiscal is a member of the shrike family found in east Africa from southeastern South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and western Somalia to northeastern Tanzania.
About the Taita Fiscal
The Taita fiscal or Teita fiscal is a member of the shrike family found in east Africa from southeastern South Sudan, southern Ethiopia, and western Somalia to northeastern Tanzania. Its habitat is dry open thornbush and acacia and other dry open woodland.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This is a fairly distinctive 21 cm (8.3 in)-long passerine with white underparts and a black crown, hindneck and wings. The back is grey with a characteristic white 'V' and the rump is white. The tail is relatively long and black with white outer feathers. There is a small white patch on the wings. The bill, eyes and legs are black. The adult male and female Taita fiscal have similar plumage except for a rufous lower flank of the female which is usually hidden by the wing. The juvenile is mainly brown–black above, with barring on the head and buff tips to the shoulder feathers.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in South Sudan.
When to see it
The Taita Fiscal can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Taita Fiscal?
- This is a fairly distinctive 21 cm (8.3 in)-long passerine with white underparts and a black crown, hindneck and wings. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Taita Fiscal?
- The Taita Fiscal is a small sized bird weighing about 50 g.
- Where can you see a Taita Fiscal?
- The Taita Fiscal occurs in 6 countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Somalia.
- What birds look similar to a Taita Fiscal?
- The Taita Fiscal is most easily confused with the Mackinnon's Shrike, the Chinese Grey Shrike and the Tiger Shrike.
- Is the Taita Fiscal endangered?
- The Taita Fiscal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Taita Fiscal for real
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