Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Order/Family: Passiformes/Laniidae (also includes bush shrikes and helmet shrikes). Laniidae are North America’s only predatory songbirds. They are characterized by a) ambush of reptiles, rodents, insects and other birds, and b) creation of a larder (or butcher shop) for 1) food storage, 2) “beef” aging and tenderizing, 3) an eating “fork” as they lack talons to hold food, 4) establishing territory, and 5) a calling card for the ladies during mating season.

Identification: 9” This black-masked-killer resembles a mockingbird, but upon closer examination there are significant differences: 1) the “black mask,” 2) short black hooked falcon-like beak, and 3) a small white patch on a black wing.

Diet and Hunting: Loggerheads hunt like hawks, but without talons they are unable to kill using their feet. Instead, it uses a hooked bill, specifically its special notch or “tooth;” the beak strikes repeated blows to the back of the skull, and the “tooth” severs the spinal cord.

Range: Approximately south of the Mason Dixon line as extended west to the California-Oregon border and it summers as far north as southern Canada.

Song: The short trills and harsh screeching notes sound discordant to humans and maybe to the female shrike, too; deeds not words, the “butcher shop” speaks for itself.

Fun Facts--Unusual Behavior: The only song bird that is also a bird of prey, “Vlad the impaler” will shish kabob prey on sharp objects or wedge it between tree branches. Unlike the human female wooed by ostentations displays of wealth and waste, the female shrike is more like “Clara” (“where’s the beef!”) in the old Burger King commercial.

Etymology: “Loggerhead:” An iron tool consisting of a long handle with a bulbous end (thus describing the bird’s large head), used when heated to melt tar or warm liquids. “Shrike:” Probably from early Anglo-Saxon “shriek” for its call. In Spanish, it’s Verdugo Americano, or the anti-American? “American Executioner.” It’s also called the anti-French? “French Mockingbird.” Lanius ludovicianus is Latin lanius, or butcher, and ludovicianus, or "of Louisiana," where the bird was first described.

Sources: Field Guide to Birds 5th Ed. (National Geographic), The Sibley Guide 2001 (The National Audubon Society, Cornell University (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Loggerhead_Shrike.html)
http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/votacio.phtml?idVideo=17411&Lanius_ludovicianus
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/blog/uploaded_images/rockwren2-731909.jpg
http://www.stoller-eser.com/newsletter/archive/shrike.htm
http://www.wonderfulwv.com/archives/nov00/fea1.cfm
http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Birds/passerines/ls.cfm
http://amcnaturenotes.blogspot.com/2008/02/attack-of-butcher-birds.html