Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio
They are nicknamed 'butcher birds' because they impale their prey on thorns or barbed wire to store food and assist in tearing it apart.
- Scientific name
- Lanius collurio
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Laniidae › Lanius
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Open bushy country, traditional farmland, and heathlands with scattered shrubs.
- Diet
- Large insects, small mammals, lizards, and small birds.
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, Southern Africa
- Size
- 16-18 cm in length, weighing 25-35 grams.
- Lifespan
- Up to 7 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss through agricultural intensification and the decline of large insect populations due to pesticides.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. Maintain a respectful distance of at least 10 meters to avoid disturbing their hunting or nesting. They are defensive of their 'larders' but pose no physical threat to people.
The red-backed shrike ( Lanius collurio ) is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family Laniidae. The genus name, Lanius , is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The specific collurio is from Ancient Greek kollurion , a bird mentioned by Aristotle. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc , "shriek", referring to the shrill call.
Photo: SteveM4560, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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