- Lanius tigrinus
Identification
17-19 cm
- Thick black-tipped blue-black bill
- Greyish-black legs
- Reddish brown back, rump and shoulders with black bars creating a tiger-like pattern
- Black mask
- Grey crown and nape
- Dull brown wings and tail
- White underparts
Female: duller with white stripe above the eye and black barring on the flanks
Young birds have dark scale-like markings and lack the grey and black head markings
Distribution
Central and eastern China, Korea, Japan, far east Russia. It winters mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Lowland forests and forest clearings and edges, cultivated land, rice fields, mangroves and gardens
Behaviour
Deit
The diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, bugs, butterflies and moths. Other small animals including birds and lizards are also taken. It usually hunts from a perch at the forest edge.
Breeding
Both adults build the nest on a branch in a deciduous tree. The clutch consists of 3-6 eggs (usually 5) which the female incubates for 14-16 days. The young fledge around two weeks later, staying close to the nest for a further two weeks.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Tiger Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Tiger_Shrike