The São Tomé fiscal (''Lanius newtoni''), or Newton's fiscal, is a species of bird in the family
Laniidae. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
São Tomé Island
São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in May 2018 to about 193,380 or 96% of the nation's population. The island is divided into six districts. It is located 2 km (1¼ miles) north of the ...
,
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...
. It is 20 to 21 centimeters long. The bird is black above with a white shoulder-scapular bar.
[ Newton's Fiscal Lanius newtoni]
BirdLife International, Access date 19 October 2018 The São Tomé fiscal has a pale yellow chin, breast, belly, flanks vent and under tail.
[ Its graduated tail has all black central tail feathers and an increasing amount of white on outer web from inner to outer tail feathers.][ The ''Lanius newtoni'' has a clear voice with a whistle ''tiuh tiuh'' often repeated and metallic ''tsink tsink'' audible over a long distance.][
The species lives on the island of São Tomé and is usually found under closed canopy. Its natural ]habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
s.[
]
Status
The São Tomé fiscal is a very rare bird. There were records of sightings in 1888 and again in 1928. Another individual was sighted in 1990 near the source of the Rio Xufexufe, and a number of birds have been spotted since then. All sightings have been in primary forest with rocky areas but little undergrowth, sometimes on low ridges or beside watercourses, and always below . This type of habitat is decreasing as forests are cut to create coffee and cocoa plantations, and the building of new hydropower plants are another possible threat, even though it is a protected area (Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé
The Obô Natural Park of São Tomé ( pt, Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé) is a natural park of São Tomé and Príncipe, covering of the island of São Tomé Island, São Tomé. It was established in 2006, but yet to be assigned an IUCN protec ...
).
Gulf of Guinea Biodiversity Network Ornithology, 29 April 2009 It is considered to be a critically endangered bird by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Tome Fiscal
Lanius
Endemic birds of São Tomé and Príncipe
Endemic fauna of São Tomé Island
Critically endangered fauna of Africa
Birds described in 1891
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot