Woodchat Shrike
Encyclopedia
The Woodchat Shrike is a member of the shrike
family Laniidae.
The Woodchat breeds in southern Europe
, the Middle East
and northwest Africa
, and winters in tropical Africa. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with orchard trees and some bare or sandy ground.
This migratory
medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds and small amphibians. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".
The male is a striking bird with black and white plumage and a chestnut crown. The race L. s. badius of the western Mediterranean lacks the large white wing patches.
In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated.
This species often overshoots its breeding range on spring migration, and is a rare, but annual, visitor to Great Britain
. The Balearic race badius has occurred in Britain around four times as a vagrant, and has also been recorded once in Ireland.
Shrike
Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty-one species in three genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes were also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits...
family Laniidae.
The Woodchat breeds in southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and northwest Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and winters in tropical Africa. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with orchard trees and some bare or sandy ground.
This migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds and small amphibians. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".
The male is a striking bird with black and white plumage and a chestnut crown. The race L. s. badius of the western Mediterranean lacks the large white wing patches.
In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated.
This species often overshoots its breeding range on spring migration, and is a rare, but annual, visitor to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The Balearic race badius has occurred in Britain around four times as a vagrant, and has also been recorded once in Ireland.
External links
- Woodchat Shrike videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Oiseaux, pictures
- Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta