Lanius ludovicianus ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: LANIIDAE
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
© Gerrit Vyn
A small gray, black, and white bird of open areas, the Loggerhead Shrike hardly appears to be a predator. But it uses its hooked beak to kill insects, lizards, mice, and birds, and then impales them on thorns to hold them while it rips them apart.
Song consists of short trills or clear notes repeated several times. Call a series of harsh screeching notes.
At Loggerheads Over a Shrike: story and photos in Living Bird magazine