Page 359 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

SHRIKES
Order Passeriformes Family Laniidae Species Lanius collurio
Red-backed Shrike black mask

pale powder-
blue head
dark patch
behind eye
grey rufous-brown
rump back
MALE
warm
brown
back slight scaly
barring on
greyish buff
underside
shell-pink
underside
FEMALE
rufous FEMALE
tail
IN FLIGHT
black tail with
white sides MALE
FLIGHT: jerky, bounding; bursts of wingbeats, tail
sometimes waved.
adly diminished in much of its range, and gone from the UK as a
Sbreeding bird, the Red-backed Shrike is still moderately common
in places where traditional farming leaves plenty of hedges, bushes,
and rough grassland with an abundance of HIDDEN FEMALE
large insects. It perches prominently, looking While males often perch on bush
for prey, which it catches in a sudden flurry tops, the females, which are
drabber, tend to be inconspicuous
on the ground. Large items are brought back when breeding, perching low
up to a perch, sometimes to be impaled on down on hedges or bushes.
a thorn for easy manipulation or for storage.
VOICE Harsh hek, harder chek; song low,
rambling, some bright warbling and mimicry.
NESTING Untidy nest of grass, moss,
feathers, and refuse in bush; 5 or 6 eggs;
1 brood; May–June.
FEEDING Watches from perch, and drops
to ground to catch beetles and other large
insects; catches some insects in flight; also
feeds on small lizards and small rodents.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Breeds in mainland Europe, except
in N Scandinavia and S Spain; now
PENDULINE TIT 32; NIGHTINGALE LINNET 32; rare migrant in UK (where it was
acrobatic in foliage; similar to 2; more social;
see p.350 see p.296 see p.382 breeding species earlier). In
farmland with hedges, thorn
tiny bushes, and bushy slopes, from
tiny April to October, when some
rufous plainer
tail migrants linger near coasts.
Seen in the UK
JF M A M J JA S O N D
Length 16–18cm (6 1 ⁄2 –7in) Wingspan 24–27cm (9 1 ⁄2 –10 1 ⁄2in) Weight 25–30g ( 7 ⁄8 –1 1 ⁄16oz)
Social Solitary Lifespan 3–5 years Status Declining†
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