Red-backed Shrike

Scientific Name: Lanius collurio

Classification: Order: Passeriformes, Family: Laniidae

A slim, medium-sized passerine known for its predatory behavior, often referred to as the 'butcherbird' for impaling prey on thorns.

Region of Origin: Eurasia; spans from Western Europe to Central Russia, wintering in Southern Africa.
Typical Sighting Period: Summer visitor to Europe (May to August) and wintering in Africa (October to March).
Plumage Details: Adult males have a blue-grey head with a prominent black 'mask' and a chestnut-red back. Females and juveniles are browner with crescent-shaped barring on the underside.
Ecological Significance: Acts as a primary controller of large insect and small lizard populations within its scrubland habitat.
Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN); however, populations have declined significantly in parts of Western Europe, especially the UK.
Observation Tips: Look for them perched prominently on top of bushes, scanning the ground for movement. They are most active during warm, sunny days.

Length: 16-18 cm; Wingspan: 24-27 cm; Weight: 25-35 g

Primarily large insects like beetles and grasshoppers, but also small birds, frogs, and rodents.

Open countryside with scattered thorny bushes, heathland, and traditional orchards.

Long-distance migrant; breeds in Europe and Asia, winters in the Southern Half of Africa.

The song is a musical warble containing mimicry; the call is a harsh, repetitive 'chee-uk' or 'chak-chak'.

Builds a cup-shaped nest in dense, prickly bushes like hawthorn. Lays 3-7 eggs per clutch; both parents guard the territory.

Black eye mask, blue-grey crown, chestnut back, and a relatively long, hooked black bill.

Isabelline Shrike (paler, lacks the heavy chestnut back) and Woodchat Shrike (distinct white patches and reddish crown).

This bird is famous for its 'larder' behavior, where it impales prey on thorns to store food for later or for courtship displays.