Tephrodornis virgatus
The Large Woodshrike, *Tephrodornis virgatus*, is a captivating passerine bird, named for its shrike-like appearance and arboreal habits, though not a true shrike. Measuring 17-20 cm in length and weighing 27-42 grams, it sports a distinctive grey head, a prominent black eye-stripe contrasted by a bright white supercilium, a greyish back, dark wings, and clean whitish underparts. Its robust, slightly hooked bill and upright posture on branches are key identification marks, setting it apart fr...
Dense tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests, both evergreen and deciduous, often found in forest edges, clearings, and plantations, typically at low to mid-elevations.
Mainly insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of insects such as caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and other invertebrates, primarily foraging by gleaning and sallying from branches.
Primarily diurnal, Large Woodshrikes are active foragers, often observed in pairs or small family groups, and commonly join mixed-species feeding flocks. They employ a 'sit-and-wait' foraging strategy, perching prominently before sallying forth to snatch insects from foliage or bark, or gleaning ...
The Large Woodshrike is widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, inhabiting a broad resident range that spans from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern India, eastward through Bangladesh and Myanmar. Its distribution extends extensively across Th...
Least Concern
- Despite its name and shrike-like appearance, the Large Woodshrike is not a true shrike (family Laniidae) but belongs to its own distinct family, Tephrodornithidae. - It is often considered a 'nuclear species' in mixed-species foraging flocks, meaning other species are attracted to and follow it...