Loggerhead Shrike

Loggerhead Shrike

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A small gray, black, and white bird of open areas, the Loggerhead Shrike hardly appears to be a predator. But it uses its hooked beak to kill insects, lizards, mice, and birds, and then impales them on thorns to hold them while it rips them apart.

Description

• Medium-sized songbird.
• Gray back.
• White throat and whitish chest.
• Black mask.
• Large head.
• Medium-long tail.
• Stout black bill, with hook at end.
• Wings black with white patch.
• Tail black with white outer feathers.

• Size: 20-23 cm (8-9 in)
• Wingspan: 28-32 cm (11-13 in)
• Weight: 35-50 g (1.24-1.77 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Song consists of short trills or clear notes repeated several times. Call a series of harsh screeching notes.

Conservation Status

Once abundant, but declined drastically through last half of 20th century. Essentially gone from northeastern part of range. Continues to decline throughout the range. The subspecies on San Clemente Island in California is listed as endangered on the federal list.

Other Names

Pie-grièche migratrice (French)
Alcaudon yanqui, Verdugo Americano (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Loggerhead Shrike is a predator, but it does not have the strong feet and talons of a raptor. It does have a strongly hooked bill for gripping flesh, and a strong notch or "tooth" near the bill tip that helps sever the spinal cord of its prey. It uses thorns and barbed wire to hold large prey while it rips it up, and may wedge prey into a fork in a branch for the same purpose.

Sources used to construct this page:

Yosef, R. 1996. Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). In The Birds of North America, No. 231 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.