- Lanius senator
Identification
19cm
Black forehead and broad patch around each eye, chestnut-red cowl on rear crown and upper mantle, oval shoulder patches.
Female and Juvenile - dull brown upperparts which are vermiculated, buff underparts also vermiculated.
Distribution
Breeds in southern Europe, the Middle East and northwest Africa. Winters in Africa.
Europe: Scandinavia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain, Ibiza, Mallorca, Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, Gibraltar, Andorra, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Italy, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova
Northern Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Middle East: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Asia: Russia, Afghanistan
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
- L. s. senator:
- L. s. badius: (Balearic Woodchat Shrike)[2]
- Western Mediterranean islands; winters to central Africa
- L. s. niloticus:
Lanius senator niloticus is not recognised by some authorities[2]
Habitat
Open country with scattered trees and bushes; olive groves and orchards.
Behaviour
Has a habit of perching on prominent branches and posts.
Breeding
Nests in trees
Diet
The diet includes insects, beetles, damsel flies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, wasps and bees, which are impaled on thorns.
Vocalisation
A harsh chattering
<flashmp3>Lanius senator (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Avibase
- Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Woodchat Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Woodchat_Shrike
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