About the Red-backed Shrike
The red-backed shrike is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family, Laniidae. Its breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia. It is migratory and winters in the eastern areas of tropical Africa and southern Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
This 16–18 cm-long (6.3–7.1 in) migratory bird eats large insects, small birds, frogs, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder." This practice has earned it the nickname of "butcher bird." The general colour of the male's upper parts is reddish. It has a grey head and a typical shrike black stripe through the eye. Underparts are tinged pink, and the tail has a black and white pattern similar to that of a wheatear. In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Red-backed Shrike sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, United States, Algeria, Morocco, South Sudan, Japan.
When to see it
Peak activity in May · a summer visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Great Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorAn adult great grey shrike is a medium-sized passerine about as large as a big thrush, measuring from 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10.2 in) long.
Brown ShrikeLanius cristatusThis shrike is mainly brown on the upper parts and the tail is rounded.
Long-tailed ShrikeLanius schachThe long-tailed shrike is a typical shrike, favouring dry open habitats and found perched prominently atop a bush or on a wire.
Side by side: Loggerhead Shrike vs Red-backed Shrike · Great Grey Shrike vs Red-backed Shrike · Brown Shrike vs Red-backed Shrike · Long-tailed Shrike vs Red-backed Shrike
Learn the Red-backed Shrike for real
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