Common Woodshrike
Tephrodornis pondicerianus
The Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) is a uncommon vangas, helmetshrikes, and alli found in 9 countries, weighing about 20 g. The common woodshrike is a species of bird found in Asia.
About the Common Woodshrike
The common woodshrike is a species of bird found in Asia. It is now usually considered a member of the family Vangidae. It is small and ashy brown with a dark cheek patch and a broad white brow. It is found across Asia mainly in thin forest and scrub habitats where they hunt insects, often joining other insectivorous birds. The form found in Sri Lanka which was treated as a subspecies is now usually considered a separate species, the Sri Lanka woodshrike.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The common woodshrike is dully ashy brown and like other woodshrikes has a large head with a strong hooked beak. They have a broad creamy brow above a dark cheek patch and white outer tail feathers contrasting with their dark tail. Young birds have streaks and spot on the crown and white spots on the mantle. The underside is also streaked and the breast is heavily marked in young birds. The northern race pallidus is pale brown above and has brown rather than black central rectrices.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Woodshrike?
- The common woodshrike is dully ashy brown and like other woodshrikes has a large head with a strong hooked beak. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Woodshrike?
- The Common Woodshrike is a small sized bird weighing about 20 g.
- Where can you see a Common Woodshrike?
- The Common Woodshrike occurs in 9 countries, including India, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal and Bangladesh.
- What birds look similar to a Common Woodshrike?
- The Common Woodshrike is most easily confused with the Large Woodshrike, the Malabar Woodshrike and the Sri Lanka Woodshrike.
- Is the Common Woodshrike endangered?
- The Common Woodshrike is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Woodshrike for real
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