- Lanius cristatus
Identification
17-20 cm (6¾-7¾ in)
Male
- Dark brown upperparts and crown
- White face
- Black eye mask
- Yellow-buff underparts
Female similar but has a greyer crown
Similar Species
Isabelline Shrike: more orangey-brown upperparts
Red-backed Shrike: longer primary projection
Distribution
Breeds Northeast Asia. Winters Northeast Africa, India and Malay Archipelago.
Accidental to Alaska and Newfoundland, British Isles and Denmark.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
This is a polytypic species, consisting of four subspecies[1]:
- L. c. cristatus:
- Eastern Siberia to north-western Mongolia; winters to India and Malay Peninsula
- L. c. confusus:
- Manchuria and Amurland; winters to Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
- L. c. superciliosus:
- Southern Sakhalin and Japan; winters to Sumatra and Lesser Sundas
- L. c. lucionensis:
- Korea and eastern China; winters to Philippines, Borneo, Sulawesi
Habitat
Found in virtually all habitats, including urban areas. Conspicuous and noisy, often on telephone wires. Forests and semi desert.
Behaviour
Diet
Very aggressive preying on large insects (including wasps and bees); sometimes takes mammals and small birds.
Breeding
They nest in trees or bushes; the clutch consists of 2-6 eggs.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
- Birdforum Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown_Shrike
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
