Lanius ludovicianus
adult
The Loggerhead Shrike is a boldly marked predatory songbird. The sexes are similar. Adults have rich gray upperparts, the mantle having a white border. A dark “mask” extends through the eye and around the forehead, above the bill; it is defined above by a white margin. The underparts are pale overall, darkest on the breast and palest on the throat. The mainly black wings have a small white patch at the base of the primaries (most obvious in flight). The long tail is tapered and mainly black with white feather tips. Juveniles are similar to adults but the upperparts and underparts appear faintly barred or scaly.
The Loggerhead Shrike occurs year-round in the south of its range, while northern birds are present in their breeding range mainly from May to September; they move south in fall. It is the smaller counterpart of the Northern Shrike, which is entirely migratory. Despite its size, the Loggerhead Shrike is a fearsome predator of large insects and small vertebrates; larger prey is often impaled on thorns or barbed wire and then dismembered. The species commonly perches on bushes and wire fences.
adult
adult
FACT FILE
LENGTH 9 in (23 cm)
FOOD Insects, small mammals, and birds
HABITAT Farmland and open country with bushes and wires
STATUS Widespread but never common. Northern populations migrate south; southern birds are resident.
VOICE Song is a series of harsh, repeated chirping phrases. Call is a harsh chaak
