Lanius schach
The Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach) is a striking medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 20-25 cm in length, including its prominent tail, and weighing 35-60 grams. Its distinctive appearance features a grey crown and nape, a prominent black mask extending from the lores to the ear-coverts, and often a variable white supercilium. The flanks, rump, and sometimes the back are a rich rufous or reddish-brown, contrasting with white underparts. Dark wings frequently display a noticeable wh...
This adaptable species inhabits open country, grasslands, scrubland, forest edges, agricultural areas, and even suburban gardens, often favoring areas with scattered thorny bushes or trees for perching and impaling prey, from sea level up to around 2,000 meters.
Predominantly carnivorous, the Long-tailed Shrike feeds on a wide array of large insects (grasshoppers, beetles, crickets) and small vertebrates (lizards, frogs, rodents, small birds), captured by striking from a perch or in short pursuit flights.
The Long-tailed Shrike is a diurnal predator, spending its days actively hunting from prominent perches. Its primary foraging strategy is "sit-and-wait," scanning for prey from an elevated vantage point before swooping down to capture insects or small vertebrates. A hallmark behavior, earning it ...
The Long-tailed Shrike exhibits a broad distribution across Asia, extending from the Trans-Caspian region eastward through Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, continuing into Southeast Asia including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indone...
Least Concern
- The Long-tailed Shrike is often called a "butcher bird" due to its unique habit of impaling prey on thorns, barbed wire, or sharp twigs, creating a "larder" to store food or aid in dismemberment. - Despite being a passerine (songbird), it is a formidable predator, capable of taking prey as larg...