|
Medium shrike with gray upperparts,pale gray underparts. Mask is black
with white border, bill is heavy and slightly hooked. Wings are black
with white patches. Tail is long, black, and white-edged. Legs and feet
are black. Flight is swift and undulating on shallow rapid wing beats.
|
NORTHERN
SHRIKE
Lanius excubitor
PASSERIFORMES
Shrikes (Laniidae)
Range
and Habitat
Breeds from northern Alaska south to central Quebec, northern Manitoba
and northern British Columbia. Migrates south in winter as far as central
and southwestern U.S.
Prefers forest edges, open willow brush, and brush-bordered swamps and
bogs.
SOUND:
"kdldi", "plid-plid", "fay, fay", "reed,
reed, reed", "shraaaa"
The species
name of the Northern Shrike, Lanius excubitor, means, "Butcher
watchman."
Their nest is so deep that while incubating, all that can be seen of
the female is the tip of her tail. Since they lack talons, they stun
or kill their prey with blows from their powerful beaks.
Then, if they do not eat their prey immediately, they impale it on thorns
or barbed wire. This serves not only as a food cache but also marks
territory and attracts mates.
A group of shrikes are collectively known as an "abbatoir"
and a "watch" of shrikes.
The Northern Shrike has a large range, estimated globally at over 10,000,000
kilometers. Native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, this
bird prefers savanna, grassland, wetland, desert, forest, and shrubland
ecosystems as well as rocky areas.
|
