# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/9de8db9c-bcd5-4e97-ab91-34f4f7608991
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/12038
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanius collurio
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/424066109/medium.jpg (SteveM4560, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.