Birds of the Inner City - Common Fiscal

Juvenile and adult Common Fiscals surveying the scene

Juvenile pouncing on some unseen prey

The Fiscal - the local neighbourhood terror

The Fiscal is one of the most widely distributed birds in the country and has adapted well to urban life. They feed on a variety of prey - generally anything is fair game for them. This one is a regular in the area and can often be seen sitting in the open, watching and waiting for his prey.

He also has the habit of terrorising our neighbours prize canaries. His trick is to scare them so that they flutter against the wire netting of the cage and then seizes them by the head and kills them. I know our neighbour would like to get rid of this guy because he is such a "pest", but what he does is not done with malicious intent.

The Fiscal is a predator, it's what he is programmed to do. Like all predators they also serves a useful role by getting rid of a lot of insect pests and by maintaining a balance in nature. An interesting habit of the Fiscal is they they create larders by impaling their prey on thorns or the barbs of wire fences.

A message to bird owner's - if you are going to cage birds make sure your cage is Fiscal proof - these birds play a useful role in the environment and I certainly like seeing them around the neighbourhood.