Page 114 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

114 ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S STRANGEST ANIMALS

With their pearl-grey upper parts, snowy under parts and
Comparisons
bold eye stripe, great grey shrikes are strikingly handsome
birds. Similar in size to the North American wood thrush
West Africa’s fiery-breasted bush-shrike (Malaconotus cruentus) may
(Hylocichla mustelina), shrikes are stockier, with a long,
be similar in shape and size to the great grey shrike, but the two
broad tail and a pronounced hooked bill.Yet, despite their
species couldn’t look more different.As their name suggests, great grey
winning looks and tuneful, warbling calls, they have some
shrike have an almost monochrome grey and white plumage. In
very nasty habits In Latin, their scientific name Lanius
contrast, the fiery-breasted bush-shrike well deserve their evocative
excubitor means ‘sentinel butcher’, but most bird-watchers
name, with lively, olive-yellow upper parts and a dazzling, bold flash of
simply call them ‘butcher birds’!
orange-red on the breast.
These predatory passerines (perching birds) are flexible
in their choice of habitats.They breed in Europe, Asia,
Africa and North America as far as the Arctic Circle.
They prefer semi-woodland environments, heaths and
farmlands – anywhere with trees, scattered bushes or
high vantage points, like telegraph poles. It’s here that
they are most often seen, standing bolt upright, scanning
the ground for prey.They are also able to ‘hover’ in the
air like kestrels, and may do this for up to 20 minutes at
a time.
Once prey has been spotted, shrike are quick to
demonstrate their aerial prowess. Ordinarily they have an
undulating, up-and-down flight pattern but, when
chasing prey, they swoop like a hawk.This is such a fast
and decisive form of attack that they are able to grab
insects from the air, and even small birds may be taken
this way – the shrikes attack from below and seize the
bird’s feet in their bill.When tackling earthbound prey,
they quickly drop to the ground and pin their victims
Great grey shrike
down. Usually they attack small rodents, but they have
been known to attack creatures as large as the ermine. It’s
believed that some shrike dispatch their prey with a blow
to the head from their hooked bill. However, it’s what

Great grey shrike habitats

Fiery-breasted bush-shrike

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