37-504: A shrike is a passerine bird of the family Laniidae. Shrike may also refer to: Other passerine birds known as shrikes: Shrike Shrikes ( / ʃ r aɪ k / ) are passerine birds of the family Laniidae . The family is composed of 34 species in two genera . The family name, and that of the larger genus, Lanius , is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as butcherbirds because of
74-471: A bulky cup made of twigs and grass. Once hatched, nestlings are fed by both the male and female parent. Average fledging period is about 19 days. Young may then remain nearby and dependent on adults for 3 to 4 weeks. After that, they begin to forage independently. Oftentimes, nestlings do not survive long past hatching. In the case of dead nestlings, adult shrikes may eat or discard their bodies or else feed them to their remaining young. The oldest recorded age of
111-483: A conspicuous upright stance. These sites are used to watch for prey and to advertise their presence to rivals. Shrikes vocally imitate their prey to lure them for capture. In 1575, this was noted by the English poet George Turberville . She will stand at perch upon some tree or poste, and there make an exceedingly lamentable crye. . . . All to make other fowles to thinke that she is very much distressed. . . whereupon
148-570: A loggerhead shrike was 12 years and 6 months. Loggerhead shrike populations have been decreasing in North America since the 1960s. Reasons behind the decline remain unclear, although suggestions include habitat loss, pesticide contamination, and human disturbance. The eastern loggerhead shrike ( L. l. migrans ) is critically endangered in Canada, with fewer than 35 known breeding pairs in Canada. The San Clemente Island shrike, L. l. mearnsi ,
185-504: A second female before his first clutch has fledged. They begin breeding during their first spring. During this time, the male performs a courtship ritual that occurs in flight. He dances erratically in the air, flying rapidly up and down and occasionally chasing the female. He presents himself to his potential mate by fanning out his tail and fluttering his wings. Females may respond to the fluttering display with begging notes, similar to those of juveniles begging for food; this encourages
222-578: A site, for example in a tree. Due to its small size and weak talons, this predatory bird relies on impaling its prey upon thorns or barbed wire for facilitated consumption. The numbers of loggerhead shrike have significantly decreased in recent years, especially in Midwestern, New England and Mid-Atlantic areas. In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of
259-444: A territorial, harsh shriek, while the female's song is pitched lower and softer than the male's. Generally, the male is far more vocal than the female. Loggerhead shrikes were once widely distributed across southern Canada, the contiguous USA and Mexico. However, their populations have heavily declined since the 1960s. Four subspecies reside in southern coastal California: mearnsi, gambeli, grinnelli and anthonyi . L. l. mearnsi
296-410: Is a medium-sized passerine. "Loggerhead" refers to the relatively large size of the head as compared to the rest of the body. The wing and tail length are about 3.82 in (9.70 cm) and 3.87 in (9.83 cm) long, respectively. It weighs on average 1.8 oz (50 g), with a range of 1.6–2.1 oz (45–60 g) for a healthy adult shrike. The adult plumage of the loggerhead shrike
333-532: Is based on these results: Platylophus – crested jayshrike Lanius – shrikes and fiscals (32 species) Eurocephalus – white-crowned shrikes (2 species) 24 genera (135 species) Most shrike species have a Eurasian and African distribution, with just two breeding in North America (the loggerhead and northern shrikes ). No members of this family occur in South America or Australia, although one species reaches New Guinea . The shrikes vary in
370-626: Is broad and varied, and has been described as harsh and jarring. The shrike's notes include squeaky whistles, shrill trills, and guttural warbles. The trills sung by males during breeding season vary in rhythm and pitch. When alarmed, a shrike will produce a "schgra-a-a" shriek while spreading out its tail feathers. A distinctive alarm call is often given when threats from above are detected. Nestlings will make "tcheek" and "tsp" sounds shortly after hatching. During courtship feedings, females may ask for food with "mak" begging notes; conversely, males emit "wuut" or "shack" sounds to offer food. The male emits
407-539: Is critically endangered, with a population as low as 5–10 individuals during 1983–1988. Although only this island subspecies is legally listed as endangered in the United States, the species is declining continent-wide and no longer occurs in most of the northeastern U.S.; it is extirpated from every state in New England , as well as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia . A captive population was established at
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#1732797246842444-420: Is grey above with a white to pale grey breast and black tarsi and feet. The bird possesses a black mask that extends across the eyes to its bill. The wings are black with a distinct white patch on the primaries . The tail is black edged with white and the irises are brown. The beak is short, black, and hooked, and contains a tomial tooth to help tear into prey. It is difficult to sex an adult loggerhead shrike in
481-431: Is low due to the shrike's preference for insects and poikilothermic prey; during this time, shrikes may be energetically stressed and underweight. Insects are consumed in mid-flight, but vertebrates usually require more handling time and therefore more energy. Due to the shrike's small size in proportion to the size of its prey, it must rely on specialized adaptations to facilitate its hunting. The powerful, hooked beak of
518-545: Is only found on San Clemente Island in California, whereas L. l. gambeli breeds on the mainland and L. l. anthonyi breeds on the Channel Islands. L. l. excubitorides is found in central North America, whereas the non-migrating L. l. ludovicianus resides in southeastern North America. The distribution of L. l. migrans ranges from north to eastern North America; however, its range has been diminishing since
555-576: The Toronto Zoo and McGill University in 1997. In 2001, an experimental field breeding and release program managed by Wildlife Preservation Canada was established. "Field breeding" refers to moving captive pairs from their wintering cages at the Toronto Zoo and McGill to large enclosures within shrike habitat in Ontario where the pairs nest and raise their young. The young then are released to
592-491: The twelfth edition , he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the loggerhead shrike. Linnaeus included a brief description, adopted the binomial name Lanius ludovicianus (identical to Brisson's Latin name) and cited Brisson's work. The specific name ludovic is Late Latin for "Louis" and the epithet "-ianus" is to describe something being of another or possessed by it. When translated, its scientific name means something alongside
629-562: The 1940s. The bird requires an open habitat with an area to forage, elevated perches, and nesting sites. They are often found in open pastures or grasslands and appear to prefer red-cedar and hawthorn trees for nesting. The hawthorn's thorns and the cedar's pin-like needles protect and conceal the shrike from predators. It may also nest in fence-rows or hedge-rows near open pastures and requires elevated perches as lookout points for hunting. Open pastures and grasslands with shorter vegetation are preferred by loggerhead shrikes, as they increase
666-489: The behavior to their nestlings. However, a young shrike must experience impaling prey upon an actual projection during a critical developmental period; otherwise, it will not learn to use the instinctive impaling action upon an actual projection. Kleptoparasitism has also been observed in nature, in which the shrike chased down another bird and stole its recently-caught prey. Loggerhead shrikes are monogamous birds. However, males are known to begin second nesting attempts with
703-417: The bird's hunting efficiency. Longer vegetation often requires more time and energy to be spent searching for prey, so these birds gravitate towards areas of shorter vegetation. Loggerhead shrikes have been repeatedly observed killing prey larger than themselves by spearing the neck or head of the animal and twisting. The speed at which this occurs causes a whiplash injury to the animal. The neck strength of
740-405: The credulous sellie birds do flocke together at her call. If any happen to approach near her, she. . . ceazeth on them, and devoureth them (ungrateful subtill fowle). Shrikes are generally monogamous breeders, although polygyny has been recorded in some species. Co-operative breeding, where younger birds help their parents raise the next generation of young, has been recorded in both species in
777-530: The extent of their ranges: some species, such as the great grey shrike , ranging across the Northern Hemisphere , while the São Tomé fiscal (or Newton's fiscal) is restricted to the island of São Tomé . They inhabit open habitats, especially steppe and savannah . A few species of shrikes are forest dwellers, seldom occurring in open habitats. Some species breed in northern latitudes during
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#1732797246842814-479: The family contains 34 species in four genera. It includes the genus Eurocephalus with the two white-crowned shrikes. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2023 found that the white-crowned shrikes were more closely related to the crows in the family Corvidae than they are to the Laniidae and authors proposed that the genus Eurocephalus should be moved to its own family Eurocephalidae. The cladogram below
851-479: The field as they are sexually monochromatic. However, several studies have reported sexual dimorphism in plumage and size traits. Juveniles possess a paler gray plumage that is subtly vermiculated . The loggerhead shrike can be distinguished from the northern shrike by its smaller size, darker grey plumage, and larger black face mask that covers the eye completely. It also has a shorter bill with less prominent hook. Their calls are similar. Their vocal range
888-422: The genera Eurocephalus and Corvinella , as well as one species of Lanius . Males attract females to their territory with well-stocked caches, which may include inedible but brightly coloured items. During courtship, the male performs a ritualised dance which includes actions that mimic the skewering of prey on thorns, and feeds the female. Shrikes make simple, cup-shaped nests from twigs and grasses, in bushes and
925-527: The habit, particularly of males, of impaling prey onto plant spines within their territories. These larders have multiple functions, attracting females and serving as food stores. The common English name shrike is from Old English scrīc , alluding to the shrike's shriek-like call. The family Laniidae was introduced (as the subfamily Lanidia) in 1815 by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque . The type genus Lanius had been introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. As currently constituted,
962-440: The large, strong talons used to catch and kill prey. Instead, they are sit-and-wait hunters that stalk prey by hawking and diving from elevated perches. By scanning their vicinity from a perch instead of flying, the shrike does not exhaust its energy during the search. Preferred perches are approximately 13 ft (4.0 m) off the ground, and are usually outer branches of trees or telephone wires. In winter, prey availability
999-412: The lines of "Louis’ butcher". "Loggerhead," a similar word to "blockhead," refers to the unusually large head to body ratio of this bird. There are seven recognized subspecies : Miller, in 1931, suggested that the wing-chord-to-tail-length ratio was an important indicator for distinguishing between subspecies. Lanius ludovicianus migrans , found in eastern North America, can be distinguished from
1036-455: The loggerhead shrike allows it to sever the neck of a small vertebrate. Larger prey are subjected to impaling, in which they are pushed down into a sharp projection, such as a thorn or barbed wire. The bird can then tear off flesh by using the projection as an anchor. The shrike may also use the thorn to fasten and store its food to return to at a later time. The motion of impalement appears to be instinctive, as parent shrikes do not demonstrate
1073-719: The loggerhead shrike in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Louisiana in the United States. He used the French name La pie-griesche de la Louisiane and the Latin Lanius ludovicianus . Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not usually conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature . When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for
1110-621: The lower branches of trees. FAMILY: LANIIDAE Loggerhead shrike The loggerhead shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus ) is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae . It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America ; the related northern shrike ( L. borealis ) occurs north of its range, however it is also found in Siberia. It is nicknamed the butcherbird after its carnivorous tendencies, as it consumes prey such as insects, amphibians, lizards, small mammals and small birds, and some prey end up displayed and stored at
1147-550: The male to feed her. The bird breeds in semi-open areas in southern Ontario , Quebec , and the Canadian prairie provinces, south to Mexico . It nests in isolated or small clusters of dense trees and shrubs from near ground level to over 4m in height. There is an increase in average clutch size as latitude increases. Shrikes begin incubation after laying the second to last egg, resulting in asynchronous hatching. Incubation, on average, lasts 16 days. The female lays 4 to 8 eggs in
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1184-458: The neck and violently shake their prey. Shrikes are territorial , and these territories are defended from other pairs. In migratory species, a breeding territory is defended in the breeding grounds and a smaller feeding territory is established during migration and in the wintering grounds. Where several species of shrikes exist together, competition for territories can be intense. Shrikes make regular use of exposed perch sites, where they adopt
1221-422: The onset of the breeding season. Female shrikes have been known to impale prey, but primarily to assist in dismembering prey. This behaviour may also serve secondarily as an adaptation to eating the toxic lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera . The bird waits 1–2 days for the toxins within the grasshopper to degrade before eating it. Loggerhead shrikes kill vertebrates by using their beaks to grab or pierce
1258-515: The shrikes compensates, making their talon weakness inconsequential. Although loggerhead shrikes are passerines , they are a predatory species that hunt during the day. They primarily eat insects, but also consume arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, bats and small birds. They have even eaten venomous snakes such as the water adder . The size of prey ranges from 0.001 g (3.5 × 10 oz) insects to 25 g (0.88 oz) mice or reptiles. They are not true birds of prey, as they lack
1295-401: The spikes on barbed-wire fences, or any available sharp point. These stores serve as a cache so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions at a later time. The primary function of conspicuously impaling prey on thorny vegetation is however thought to be for males to display their fitness and the quality of the territory held to prospective mates. The impaling behaviour increases during
1332-601: The summer, then migrate to warmer climes for the winter. Shrikes are medium-sized birds with grey, brown, or black-and-white plumage . Most species are between 16 cm (6.3 in) and 25 cm (9.8 in) in size; however, the genus Corvinella , with its extremely elongated tail-feathers, may reach up to 50 cm (20 in) in length. Their beaks are hooked, like those of a bird of prey , reflecting their carnivorous nature; their calls are strident. Male shrikes are known for their habit of catching insects and small vertebrates and impaling them on thorns , branches,
1369-400: The western subspecies, L. l. excubitorides by wing length, tail length, and colour. L. l. migrans have a paler forehead than the top of the head. According to Mundy et al.’s 1997 study, there is a substantial genetic difference between the island subspecies L. l. mearnsi and the mainland subspecies L. l. gambeli due to a gene flow barrier between the two species. The loggerhead shrike
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