Species

Loggerhead shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

A grey-and-black songbird that hunts like a hawk and impales its prey on thorns and barbed wire.

Photo ncb1221 (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 20 to 23 cm long
Weight: About 45 to 60 g
Habitat: Open country with scattered shrubs, pastures and fence lines
Diet: Large insects, lizards, mice and small birds
In Georgia: An uncommon and declining resident, mostly in the south and centre
Voice: Harsh "shack" notes and a varied, quiet song
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Grey body; black mask; black wings with a white patch; hooked bill
Told apart from: Northern mockingbird, which is slimmer with no mask and a longer tail
Where to look: Perched on wires and fences over open fields

Behaviour

Shrikes hunt from perches, catching insects, lizards and mice. Lacking talons, they impale prey on thorns or barbed wire to hold it while they eat, or to store it for later.

Why they matter

Loggerhead shrikes have declined by over 70 per cent in recent decades, probably because of pesticides, the loss of pastures and traffic on roadsides. They are one of the few songbirds that hunt vertebrates, filling a niche usually taken by small hawks.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A bulky cup in a thorny shrub or small tree
Eggs — Usually four to six
Incubation — About 15 to 17 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 17 to 20 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Insecticides on pastures reduce their food and may poison them.
They are often hit by cars when hunting along roadsides.

Misconceptions

Impaled animals on a fence are a sign of cruelty by people. They are a shrike's larder.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Pairs on territory	Nest building	Nesting	Chicks	Young fledging	Second broods	Young independent	Present	Present	Present	Present	Present

Where it lives

Recorded in 64 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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