Sigelus silens
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The fiscal flycatcher (Sigelus silens) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is the only species placed in the genus Sigelus. It is a resident breeder in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland, and a vagrant to Namibia.
This species is found in subtropical open woodland, dry savanna, shrubland and suburban gardens. The fiscal flycatcher was previously the only member of the genus Sigelus but was moved to Melaenornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010. This black and white bird gets its name from its resemblance to the northern and southern fiscal shrikes (previously considered one species, common fiscal), shrikes that in turn get the name from their black and white suit-and-tie appearance reminiscent of the taxman ('fiscal'). The male may be confused with the fiscal shrikes, but the shrikes have heavy, hooked bills, white patches on the shoulder rather than the lower wing, and no white on their longer tails. The resemblance is assumed to be an example of Batesian mimicry.
The fiscal flycatcher is 17–20 cm in length. The adult male is black above and white below with... Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
South Africa · 2022
© Marion Maclean · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
South Africa · 2026
© vfdeh · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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South Africa · 2024
© Gareth Bain · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fiscal Flycatcher sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 1,012 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 29th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to June
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Fiscal Flycatcher in Johannesburg on a given day, against about 20% in March and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Johannesburg's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fiscal Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Fiscal Flycatcher sightings, Johannesburg has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%) and Cape Town (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Fiscal Flycatcher that you can see in Johannesburg (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Cape Robin-Chat (about 60%) and African Stonechat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fiscal Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (1,012 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
