NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Southern Fiscal
Lanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The southern fiscal or fiscal shrike (Lanius collaris) is a member of the shrike family found through most of southern Africa. It is also sometimes named jackie hangman or butcher bird due to its habit of impaling its prey on acacia thorns to store the food for later consumption. It was previously lumped together with the northern fiscal (Lanius humeralis). Together they were known as the common fiscal.
Wikipedia contributors, Southern fiscal; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:46:36.482436+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1766
- Common name
- Southern Fiscal
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Laniidae
- Genus
- Lanius
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyLaniidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusLanius Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesLanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lanius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio Linnaeus, 1758 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-backed FiscalLanius excubitoroides Prévost & des Murs, 1847 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern FiscalLanius humeralis Stanley, 1814 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mackinnon's ShrikeLanius mackinnoni Sharpe, 1891 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalis Temminck, 1820 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor J. F. Gmelin, 1788 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed ShrikeLanius schach Linnaeus, 1758 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Woodchat ShrikeLanius senator Linnaeus, 1758 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Souza's ShrikeLanius souzae Barboza du Bocage, 1878 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chinese Grey ShrikeLanius sphenocercus Cabanis, 1873 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mountain ShrikeLanius validirostris Ogilvie-Grant, 1894 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Giant Grey ShrikeLanius giganteus Przevalski, 1887 | LaniidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Linné, Carl von. (1766). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, Cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis, 12th Edition, Vol. 1. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3S7BH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.