Loggerhead Shrike
Loggerhead Shrikes are capable of carrying more than their own weight in flight. They have been observed lifting off with such large prey as a Mourning Dove and a 16" long rattlesnake.

Shrikes are unique among passerine birds because they regularly prey on vertebrates, including other birds. They dispatch their victims with their strong bills, severing the vertebrae with a 'toothed' bill structure similar to that of falcons. Loggerhead Shrikes carry large items in their bill and small items with their feet. Shrikes have strong feet and sharp claws but they lack the talons of hawks and owls. To compensate, they wedge their prey in branches or hang it on thorns, sharp twigs, or barbed wire to make it easier to handle. They sometimes leave their prey wedged or hanging for future use.

Loggerheads perch conspicuously on shrubs, trees and utility wires to scan for food. They are often observed hunting along roadsides. Loggerhead Shrikes have phenomenally good vision and can spot a grasshopper from 70 yards away. Like the Northern Shrike (L. excubitor), the Loggerhead consumes vertebrate prey more often in winter than in summer. Vertebrate prey includes mice, lizards, and small birds such as warblers and sparrows. By August and September insects, especially grasshoppers, comprise about 70% of the Loggerheads' prey. Loggerhead Shrikes disarm stinging wasps by using their bills to squeeze the abdomen and rubbing the stinger off against a hard surface. Some studies indicate that Loggerhead Shrikes detoxify unpalatable prey such as monarch butterflies and toads by impaling them and leaving them exposed for several days before eating them.

For its nest site, the Loggerhead Shrike usually selects thick shrubs or trees between three and fifteen feet high. The male may help collect twigs and stems but the female constructs the nest. Females lay four to six eggs as early as late February in the southern parts of the range, and in late April or May in Canada. The female incubates the eggs and the male feeds her.

Loggerhead Shrikes inhabit open country, typically lowland plains or gently sloping hillsides with short grass. Good habitat includes scattered low shrubs or trees for perching and nesting. Most of the range is temperate, but Loggerhead Shrikes also breed in subtropical habitats and deserts. Agricultural land, including unimproved pastures and orchards, are also important breeding areas. Habitat loss has been implicated in a severe decline in Loggerhead Shrike populations since the early twentieth century. This decline accelerated during the 1960's and 1970's especially in the Northeast. Other proposed causes include increased pesticide use and automobile-caused mortality because of the shrike's propensity for hunting along roadways.

Loggerhead Shrikes occur throughout most of Mexico, most of the United States except the Northeast, northern Rocky Mountains and Cascade Range, and southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. A remnant of the northeastern population hangs on in southern Ontario. Northern populations occurring in areas that receive more than 10 to 30 days of snow cover per year are migratory, while southern populations tend to be resident.
Loggerhead Shrike Range Map

Description: The Loggerhead Shrikes is 9" long, slightly smaller than an American Robin. The short hooked bill is entirely dark. The head and back are bluish gray. Underparts are white or grayish white. A broad black mask starting at the nape extends to and just above the bill, surrounding the eye. The wings are black with a white patch at the tops of the primary feathers, while the tail is black with white feather tips. Juveniles are paler, with fine barring over the body, slightly brownish gray upperparts, and buffy rather than white wing patches. Sexes are alike.

The range of the very similar Northern Shrike overlaps with that of the Loggerhead Shrike in the winter. With careful attention the Northern Shrike can be distinguished based on its slightly larger size, paler, more silvery upperparts, and longer, more hooked two-toned bill. The Northern Shrike has a narrow mask which does not completely surround the eye or extend above the bill. The white supercilium above the eye is more prominent in Northern Shrikes. Both adults and juveniles show heavier and more distinct barring of the underparts than in juvenile Loggerheads.


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