Birds Posters
Shrike
Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty one species in three genera.
The family name, and that of the largest genus, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes were also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits.
Most shrike species have a Eurasian and African distribution, with just two breeding 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.
The shrikes vary in the extent of their ranges, with some species like the Great Grey Shrike ranging across the northern hemisphere to the Newton's Fiscal which is restricted to the island of Sao Tome.
They inhabit open habitats, especially steppe and savannah. A few species of shrike are forest dwellers, seldom occurring in open habitats.
Some species breed in northern latitudes during the summer, then migrate to warmer climes for the winter.
Shrikes are medium sized birds, up to 50 centimetres (20 in) 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.
Loggerhead shrikes are the only known predatory songbird. They prey on both vertebrate and invertebrate animals, but due to their lack of talons or claws they must impale their prey.
Impaling is done with the slightly hooked beak, often against either a tree or into barbed wire.
While its diet consists mostly of mice, it will also eat insects, small amphibians, and even small birds.
The Loggerhead Shrike is most well known for its innovative use of barbed wire and chain link fences to impale its prey to cache for later.
It is also called butcherbird or French Mockingbird.
The San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike subspecies has been listed as endangered since 1977, with population numbers reaching as low as 14 individuals.
Currently there are captive breeding and release programs in use to help increase their numbers.
The Brown, Red backed, and Isabelline shrikes were once regarded as part of a large super species.
With its narrow habitat requirements, they appear to have suffered significantly from habitat loss, while others such as the Bull headed Shrike has not been adversely affected.