The northern shrike is about the size of a robin. But both names reflect the fact that if prey is available, the shrike will kill more than it can immediately use.

I found a Northern Shrike hunting a feeder up in the Bog this morning. Northern Shrike, the Butcher Bird, Lanius excubitor, Great Grey, Gray Shrike. This bird may look small (about the size of a Robin), but is means death for songbirds and mice. Loggerhead Shrike. It stores the extra meat, often skewering the tiny corpse so that it hangs, butcher fashion, from a thorn or a fence wire. aka The Butcher Bird. Shrikes have declined in Texas over the decades as their habitat has disappeared. It has an alternative name which it richly deserves. It is a master of deception, confusing its victims as it mimics the sounds of local birds ’ shrill or sweet tones. When it notices a meal, the butcher bird then swiftly swoops down and snatches up its prey. Our shrike was definitely acting like a watchman, waiting for a mouse or bird to make a mistake. Not so the Loggerhead Shrike. Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Translated it reads, "butcher sentinel."

Upon catching a small bird, vole or mouse, it vigorously shakes its prey back and forth till it breaks it breaks the neck of its catch. After this, as we mentioned above, the shrike impales its victims on sharp branches from sloes, hawthorns, and other thorny plants. It is called the butcher bird and anywhere it is common in North America its prey are left out to dry in the same way that a butcher might hang his meat. If you are fortunate enough to live in Arizona year-round (like the loggerhead shrike), then there’s a good chance you’ll be able to observe these amazing birds in their natural habitat. Diet of the Iberian grey shrike. They breed in far northern North America and come as far south as the northern U.S. for winter. The butcher bird (“Lanius collaris†), also known as the Fiscal Shrike, adopts the sit-and-wait hunting method; remaining inert and perusing an area with its sharp eyes. Butcherbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection; Last edited on 23 August 2019, at 20:06. The Loggerhead Shrike, Arizona’s Butcher Bird. Thanks to this, they can tear them apart by jerking them around, hence their nickname: the butcher bird. The red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family Laniidae.The breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia but it only rarely occurs in the British Isles. By William LeRoy.

It is migratory and winters in the eastern areas of … Home » All Articles » The Loggerhead Shrike, Arizona’s Butcher Bird. "They're called the 'butcher bird' because they spear shrews and lizards on thorns. Wolf Prairie is an important oasis for these interesting birds. This species of bird usually stalks its prey from high places such as branches or even power lines. A bold black mask and stout, hooked bill heighten the impression of danger in these fierce predators. Grey Butcherbird, Cracticus torquatus, Canberra, Australia. The bird’s folk name is the “butcher bird,” and we don’t know which came first, the folk name or the butcher reference in the Latin name. Butcherbird, in general, any bird that impales its prey (small vertebrates, large insects) on a thorn or wedges it into a crack or a forked twig in order to tear it or, sometimes, to store it. Translated it reads, "butcher sentinel." The burly, bull-headed Northern Shrike is a pint-sized predator of birds, small mammals, and insects. Posted By William LeRoy on Aug 27, 2014. Butcherbirds are songbirds closely related to the Australian magpie.Most are found in the genus Cracticus, but the black butcherbird is placed in the monotypic genus Melloria.They are native to Australasia.Together with three species of currawong and two species of peltops, butcherbirds and the Australian magpie form the subfamily Cracticinae in the family Artamidae.