Atlas of the World's Strangest Animals by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2011-12-11T01:15:30+00:00

G R E AT G R E Y S H R I K E

113

Bill

It’s believed that some great

grey shrike dispatch their

victims with a blow to the

head, using their hooked bill.

Feet

Three long, forwards-facing

toes and one shorter,

backwards-facing toe is the

typical, anisodactyl, layout for

the feet of perching birds.

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.

114

AT L A S O F T H E WO R L D ’ S S T R A N G E S T A N I M A L S

With their pearl-grey upper parts, snowy under parts and Comparisons

bold eye stripe, great grey shrikes are strikingly handsome birds. Similar in size to the North American wood thrush West Africa’s fiery-breasted bush-shrike ( Malaconotus cruentus) may ( Hylocichla mustelina), shrikes are stockier, with a long, be similar in shape and size to the great grey shrike, but the two broad tail and a pronounced hooked bill.Yet, despite their species couldn’t look more different. As their name suggests, great grey winning looks and tuneful, warbling calls, they have some shrike have an almost monochrome grey and white plumage. In very nasty habits In Latin, their scientific name Lanius contrast, the fiery-breasted bush-shrike wel deserve their evocative excubitor means ‘sentinel butcher’, but most bird-watchers name, with lively, olive-yellow upper parts and a dazzling, bold flash of simply call them ‘butcher birds’!

orange-red on the breast.

These predatory passerines (perching birds) are flexible in their choice of habitats. They breed in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America as far as the Arctic Circle.

They prefer semi-woodland environments, heaths and farmlands – anywhere with trees, scattered bushes or high vantage points, like telegraph poles. It’s here that they are most often seen, standing bolt upright, scanning the ground for prey. They are also able to ‘hover’ in the air like kestrels, and may do this for up to 20 minutes at a time.

Once prey has been spotted, shrike are quick to demonstrate their aerial prowess. Ordinarily they have an undulating, up-and-down flight pattern but, when chasing prey, they swoop like a hawk. This is such a fast and decisive form of attack that they are able to grab insects from the air, and even small birds may be taken this way – the shrikes attack from below and seize the bird’s feet in their bill. When tackling earthbound prey, they quickly drop to the ground and pin their victims Great grey shrike

down. Usually they attack small rodents, but they have been known to attack creatures as large as the ermine. It’s believed that some shrike dispatch their prey with a blow to the head from their hooked bill. However, it’s what Great grey shrike habitats

Fiery-breasted bush-shrike

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.

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