Shrike
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 Loggerhead Shrike
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Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. Most shrike species occur in Eurasia and Africa, but two breed in North America (the Loggerhead and Great Grey shrikes). There are no members of this family in South America or Australia, although one species reaches New Guinea.
Some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their habit of keeping corpses. Australasian butcherbirds are not shrikes, although they occupy a similar ecological niche. Several African species are known as fiscals, derived from the Afrikaans term for the hangman, fiskaal.
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Description
Shrikes are medium-sized birds, up to 50 centimetres (approximately 19.7 inches) in length, with grey, brown, or black and white plumage. Their beaks are hooked, like that of a bird of prey, reflecting their predatory nature, and their calls are strident. Shrikes are known for their habit of catching insects, small birds, or mammals and impaling their bodies on thorns. This helps them to tear the flesh into smaller, more conveniently-sized fragments, and serves as a "larder" so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions at a later time.[1]
They inhabit open habitats, especially steppe and savannah. Some species breed in northern latitudes during the summer, then migrate to warmer climes for the winter. Shrike make simple, cup-shaped nests from twigs and grasses, in bushes and the lower branches of trees.[1]
Species in taxonomic order
FAMILY: LANIIDAE
- Genus: Lanius
- Tiger Shrike, Lanius tigrinus
- Bull-headed Shrike, Lanius bucephalus
- Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio
- Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus
- Brown Shrike, Lanius cristatus
- Burmese Shrike, Lanius collurioides
- Emin's Shrike, Lanius gubernator
- Souza's Shrike, Lanius souzae
- Bay-backed Shrike, Lanius vittatus
- Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
- Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus
- Mountain Shrike or Grey-capped Shrike, Lanius validirostris
- Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor
- Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus
- Great Grey Shrike or Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor
- Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis
- Chinese Grey Shrike, Lanius sphenocercus
- Grey-backed Fiscal, Lanius excubitoroides
- Long-tailed Fiscal, Lanius cabanisi
- Taita Fiscal, Lanius dorsalis
- Somali Fiscal, Lanius somalicus
- Mackinnon's Shrike, Lanius mackinnoni
- Common Fiscal, Lanius collaris
- Newton's Fiscal, Lanius newtoni
- Uhehe Shrike, Lanius marwitzi
- Woodchat Shrike, Lanius senator
- Masked Shrike, Lanius nubicus
- Steppe Grey Shrike, Lanius pallidirostris
- Genus: Corvinella
- Yellow-billed Shrike, Corvinella corvina
- Magpie Shrike, Corvinella melanoleuca
- Genus: Eurocephalus
- White-rumped Shrike, Eurocephalus rueppelli
- White-crowned Shrike, Eurocephalus anguitimens
Birds with similar names
Other species, popularly called "shrikes," are in the families:
- Prionopidae, helmetshrikes.
- Malaconotidae, puffback shrikes, bush shrikes, tchagras and boubous.
- Campephagidae, cuckoo-shrikes.
The Prionopidae and Malaconotidae are quite closely related to the Laniidae, and were formerly included in the shrike family. The cuckoo-shrikes are not closely related to the true shrikes.
References
- Harris, Tony (2000). Shrikes and Bush-Shrikes. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-07036-9.
- Lefranc, Norbert (1997). Shrikes: A Guide to the Shrikes of the World. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300073364.
External links
- Shrike videos on the Internet Bird Collection