About the Tiger Shrike
The tiger shrike or thick-billed shrike is a small passerine bird which belongs to the genus Lanius in the shrike family, Laniidae. It is found in wooded habitats across eastern Asia. It is a shy, often solitary bird which is less conspicuous than most other shrikes. Like other shrikes it is predatory, feeding on small animals. Its nest is built in a tree and three to six eggs are laid.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
It is a fairly small, stocky shrike, 17–19 cm long. Males weigh 27-29 grams and have a wing length of 77.8-83.9 mm, a tail length of 66.9-75.0 mm and a bill length of 14.1-15.9 mm. Females weigh 29-37 grams and have a wing length of 79.5-85.3 mm, a tail length of 66.3-79.1 mm and a bill length of 14.8-16.7 mm. The thick bill is blue-black with a black tip and the legs are grey-black. The adult male's back, rump and shoulders are reddish-brown with blackish bars creating a tiger-like pattern. It has a black forehead and mask and grey crown and nape. Voice: Its song is a musical warbling. It has a variety of harsh calls including a loud, repeated territorial call, a chattering alarm call and a softer trilling call. It often calls from within cover but territorial males call from a prominent perch.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Japan, Australia, Myanmar (Burma), Russia, North Korea.
When to see it
Peak activity in September · a passage migrant species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Long-tailed FiscalLanius cabanisiLike many shrike species the appearance of the adults is similar between the sexes but strikingly different in juvenile birds.
Taita FiscalLanius dorsalisThis is a fairly distinctive 21 cm (8.3 in)-long passerine with white underparts and a black crown, hindneck and wings.
Mackinnon's ShrikeLanius mackinnoniMackinnon's shrike grows to a length of about 20 cm (8 in).
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