Northern Fiscal
Lanius humeralis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyLaniidae (Shrikes)
- GenusLanius (Typical Shrikes)
- SpeciesLanius humeralis (Northern Fiscal)
The northern fiscal (Lanius humeralis) is a member of the shrike family found through most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It used to be grouped with the southern fiscal (Lanius collaris). Together they were called the common fiscal. The fiscal gets its English and Afrikaans common names from its black and white 'suit-and-tie' appearance reminiscent of the taxman (‘fiscal’). Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Fiscal sighting in Serengeti National Park, based on 485 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Serengeti National Park
Grey-backed Fiscal
Lanius excubitoroides
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio
Teita Fiscal
Lanius dorsalis
Lesser Grey Shrike
Lanius minor
Long-tailed Fiscal
Lanius cabanisi
Isabelline Shrike
Lanius isabellinus
Red-tailed Shrike
Lanius phoenicuroides
Northern White-crowned Shrike
Eurocephalus ruppelli
Magpie Shrike
Urolestes melanoleucus
Superb Starling
Lamprotornis superbus
Rüppell's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis purpuroptera
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Fiscal in Serengeti National Park?
About 12% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Fiscal sighting in Serengeti National Park, based on 485 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northern Fiscal in Serengeti National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Northern Fiscal in Serengeti National Park in our monthly data.