Lanius cabanisi
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The long-tailed fiscal (Lanius cabanisi) is a species of bird in the shrike family Laniidae. The species is closely related to the more widespread grey-backed fiscal and is sometimes placed in a separate subgenus, Neolanius, with that species. It is found in southern Somalia, southern and south-eastern Kenya, from the shores of Lake Victoria to the coast; and northern and eastern Tanzania south to Dar es Salaam, with a separate population at Usanga Flats.
Its natural habitat is open dry habitats such as dry, treeless savanna, open woodland and cultivated patches. This conspicuous fiscal can often be seen in small groups perching in the open especially noticeable on telegraph poles and wires. It characteristically waggles its long tail from side to side excitedly. It can be distinguished from the common fiscal, Lanius collaris, by its gray back and more robust shape.
Like many shrike species the appearance of the adults is similar between the sexes but strikingly different in juvenile birds. Adult birds are between 26 and 30 cm (10–12 in) in length and weigh between 69 and 80 g (2.4–2.8 oz) (with males averaging slightly heavier). They are large and robust with, as... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Fiscal sighting in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, based on 205 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 345 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.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Fiscal in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January–February, April–June, August and October, the lowest months. That is one of Tsavo East National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain against 10 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Fiscal sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Fiscal sightings, Tsavo East National Park ranks 7th at about 30%. The best odds are in Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 60%), Meru National Park (Kenya, about 60%) and Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Lanius
The closest relatives of the Long-tailed Fiscal that you can see in Tsavo East National Park (genus Lanius, Typical Shrikes) are Teita Fiscal (about 50%), Red-backed Shrike (about 10%) and Isabelline Shrike (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Fiscal is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo East National Park (205 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
