Lanius phoenicuroides
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The red-tailed shrike or Turkestan shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides) is a member of the shrike family (Laniidae). It was formerly considered conspecific with the isabelline shrike and the red-backed shrike. The plumage is a sandy colour. It has a red tail.
The red-tailed shrike breeds in south Siberia and Central Asia. This migratory medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a larder. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with thorn bushes.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 15 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Shrike sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 122 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 132nd most-seen of the 380 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Red-tailed Shrike in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and June–October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-tailed Shrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Red-tailed Shrike sightings, Tsavo West National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 10%) and Tsavo East National Park (Kenya, about 10%).
Same genus: Lanius
The closest relatives of the Red-tailed Shrike that you can see in Tsavo West National Park (genus Lanius, Typical Shrikes) are Long-tailed Fiscal (about 40%), Red-backed Shrike (about 20%) and Teita Fiscal (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-tailed Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (122 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.
