Loggerhead Shrike

The Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicainus is a passerine of the shrike family Laniidae.

These birds have a large hooked bill; the head and back are grey with white underparts. They have black wings and tail, with white patches on the wings and white on the outer tail feather. Unlike the similar but slightly larger Northern Shrike, the black face mask extends over the bill.

Their breeding habitat is semi-open areas in southern Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, south to Mexico. They nest in a dense tree or shrub.

They are permanent resident in the southern part of their range; northern birds migrate further south.

These birds wait on a perch with open lines of sight and swoops down to capture prey. They mainly eat large insects, also rodents and small birds. They impale their prey on thorns or barbed wire.

The population of this species has declined in the northeastern parts of their range, possibly due to loss of suitable habitat and pesticide use.

"Loggerhead" refers to the relatively large head as compared to the rest of the body.