Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.9–9.1 in
20–23 cm - Wingspan
- 11–12.6 in
28–32 cm - Weight
- 1.2–1.8 oz
35–50 g
Other Names
- Pie-grièche migratrice (French)
- Alcaudon yanqui, Verdugo Americano (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Loggerhead Shrike is a predator, but it does not have the strong feet and talons of a raptor. It does have a strongly hooked bill for gripping flesh, and a strong notch or "tooth" near the bill tip that helps sever the spinal cord of its prey. It uses thorns and barbed wire to hold large prey while it rips it up, and may wedge prey into a fork in a branch for the same purpose.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Food
Insects
Insects, amphibians, small reptiles, small mammals, and birds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–9 eggs
- Egg Description
- Grayish buff with dark spots around large end.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Aerial Dive
Scans for food from perches. Kills by biting prey in back of neck, cutting the spinal cord. Impales prey on thorns so that it can be torn apart.
Conservation
Least Concern
Once abundant, but declined drastically through last half of 20th century. Essentially gone from northeastern part of range. Continues to decline throughout the range. The subspecies on San Clemente Island in California is listed as endangered on the federal list.
Credits
- Yosef, R. 1996. Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). In The Birds of North America, No. 231 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.