How to Identify aLoggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus · 7.9–9.1 in (20–23 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Clean gray above, white below, with a broad black mask meeting across the bill, black wings with a white patch, and a stout hooked bill. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: Gary Leavens / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Second photo: DickDaniels (http://theworldbirds.org/) / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Field marks
- Thick black mask that continues across the top of the bill
- Large head relative to the body
- White patches at the base of black wings
- Clean unbarred white underparts
Similar species
What it sounds like
A harsh series of grating notes and squeaky whistles, repeated in pairs.
Behaviour that gives it away
Like its northern relative it impales prey on thorns and wire, and its larders can hold several catches at once.
Habitat & range
Open country with scattered perches — pasture, desert scrub, farmland and roadsides.
When you'll see it
Present all year in North America.
What it eats
Insects, lizards, small birds and rodents.
Did you know?
It has declined sharply across most of its range, and is now among the fastest-disappearing songbirds in North America.
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