Woodchat Shrike

The Woodchat Shrike is a handsome, sharply patterned predatory songbird of sunny Mediterranean landscapes. Adults are striking: a rich chestnut-orange crown and nape contrast with a black mask, black wings marked with a bold white patch, a black tail, and clean white underparts and rump.

Juveniles look completely different, mottled greyish-brown with fine vermiculated barring, resembling a young shrike of almost any species until the chestnut cap develops.

Like other shrikes, it is a fierce hunter for its size, often perching prominently on wires, dead branches, or the tops of bushes before dropping onto prey.

Key field marks

• Bright chestnut crown and nape, sharply demarcated from the black mask and black back
• Bold white patch at the base of the black wing, visible both perched and in flight
• White underparts, white rump, and a black tail with white edges
• Juveniles are dull brown and finely barred, lacking the chestnut cap

Similar species

The chestnut crown (rather than chestnut back) distinguishes adult Woodchat Shrikes from Red-backed Shrikes. It is also more boldly patterned in black and white than the greyer Lesser Grey Shrike, which lacks the chestnut cap entirely.

Range

Breeds around the Mediterranean basin, from Iberia and North Africa east through southern Europe to the Middle East and Central Asia. It is a trans-Saharan migrant, wintering in the Sahel zone of sub-Saharan Africa.

Habitat

Prefers warm, dry, open country with scattered trees or bushes for perching, including olive groves, orchards, vineyards, and dehesa-type parkland. It requires open ground below its perches to spot and pursue prey.

Migration

Departs breeding areas in late summer, crossing the Sahara to reach wintering grounds in West and Central Africa, returning to Europe in spring.

Behavior

Hunts from an exposed perch, dropping down onto insects and small animals on the ground, or occasionally catching prey in flight. Like other shrikes it will cache surplus food by impaling it on thorns.

Voice

The song is a varied, chattering warble often mixed with mimicry of other birds. Calls include harsh, scolding notes given in alarm.

Feeding

Feeds mainly on large insects such as beetles and crickets, along with small lizards; it will also take small birds and rodents opportunistically.

Nesting and breeding

Builds a neat cup nest in a tree or tall bush, laying 4-6 eggs incubated mainly by the female. Both parents help feed the young after hatching.