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Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Photo by DonnaPomeroy
Published on Project Noah
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27.2312, -82.2418

Field Notes

Description:

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.

Habitat:

open grasslands with perches to hunt from

Notes:

This shrike has impaled a green grasshopper on the barbed wire.

Reference Links:

Loggerhead Shrike, Life History, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (7)
ceherzog
These birds are really something!
Jack Settle
Nice! Great example of their insect-impaling behavior!
Ashish
Beauty perfectly presented...
CoastalJHawk
Great pictures! The fact that you got it using a described feeding method with the barbwire makes it outstanding! Thanks for sharing.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Birds of the World
Mission
Florida's Flora & Fauna
Photographed
PublishedFebruary 25, 2013

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