Birds Guide

Shrikes
Loggerhead Shrike
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae
Genera
Lanius Eurocephalus Corvinella

Lizard impaled on thorns by Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis, Lanzarote

A shrike is a passerine bird of the family Laniidae which is known for its 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.

A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey, reflecting its predatory nature.

Most shrike species occur in Eurasia and Africa, but two breed in North America. There are no members of this family in South America or Australia.

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.

Species of Laniidae

• 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
  Yellow-billed Shrike, Corvinella corvina
  Magpie Shrike, Corvinella melanoleuca
  White-rumped Shrike, Eurocephalus rueppelli
  White-crowned Shrike, Eurocephalus anguitimens

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.

A bee presumably caught and impaled by a shrike.

External links

• Shrike videos on the Internet Bird Collection