Lanius excubitor
Northern Shrikes retreat from their northern breeding grounds to overwinter in southern Canada and the northern U.S. These predatory songbirds migrate through the mountains during spring and fall, and they are occasionally seen in semi-open areas, where they perch hawk-like on treetops. Despite its robin-like size, the Northern Shrike can quickly kill small birds and rodents. When this shrike strikes, it sometimes seizes its prey with its feet and pecks at the animal until it is restrained. The Northern Shrike's macabre behavior of impaling its kills on thorns and barbs has earned it the names 'butcher bird' and 'nine-killer.' This species ranges around the Northern Hemisphere: it is also found in Scandinavia and Asia, and it overwinters in Britain and Japan. Lanius is Latin for 'butcher,' and excubitor is Latin for 'watchman' or 'sentinel.' 'The Watchful Butcher' is an appropriate description of the Northern Shrike's foraging behavior.
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I.D.: Sexes similar. Adult: black tail and wings; pale gray upperparts; finely barred, light underparts; black mask does not extend above the hooked bill. Immature: faint mask; light brown upperparts. In flight: white wing patches; white-edged tail. Size: L 10 in. (25 cm) Range: uncommon migrant and winter resident in the southern and central U.S. Rockies; rare winter resident in the Canadian and northern U.S. Rockies. Habitat: shrublands, grasslands and roadsides, at low to high elevations, during winter and in migration. Nesting: on the taiga; in spruce, willows or shrubs; loose, bulky nest is made with sticks, bark and moss. Feeding: swoops down on prey from a perch or chases prey through the air; regularly eats small birds, shrews and rodents; commonly takes insects if they are available. Voice: usually silent; infrequently calls a grating shek shek during migration. Similar Species: Loggerhead Shrike: summer resident; adult's mask extends above the bill; juvenile has brownish-gray, barred upperparts. Northern Mockingbird: slim bill; no mask. |
