Lanius collurioides
The Burmese Shrike (*Lanius collurioides*), an exquisite member of the shrike family (Laniidae), is a medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 18-20 cm in length and weighing around 27-33 grams. Males are striking with a distinctive grey crown and nape, a prominent black mask across the eyes, and a rich rufous-chestnut mantle and back, contrasting with clean white underparts. Their tail is black with white outer feathers, a key field mark. Females exhibit a duller plumage, often with a les...
This shrike primarily inhabits open deciduous and evergreen forests, forest edges, clearings, and scrubland, often near cultivated areas with scattered trees, typically found from lowlands up to 2000 meters elevation.
Its diet primarily consists of large insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, and moths, supplemented with small vertebrates like lizards, frogs, and occasionally small rodents or birds, captured using a distinctive perch-and-pounce foraging method.
The Burmese Shrike is a diurnal, predatory bird known for its "perch-and-pounce" hunting strategy. It frequently scans for prey from exposed perches such as tree branches or utility wires, before swooping down to capture its target on the ground or in low vegetation. A remarkable trait is its hab...
The Burmese Shrike's breeding range extends across a significant portion of Southeast Asia and the Eastern Himalayas. It breeds from eastern Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern India, through Bangladesh, much of Myanmar, southern China (Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, an...
Least Concern
- The Burmese Shrike earned its nickname "butcher bird" because it impales its prey on thorns or barbed wire, much like a butcher hangs meat, for storage or to tear apart larger items. - This "larder" behavior is a unique adaptation among passerine birds, allowing them to cache food for leaner ti...