From Opus

Photo by Laurence Poh
Ipoh, Malaysia

Lanius cristatus

[edit] Identification

17-19 cm
Male

• Dark brown upperparts and crown
• White face
• Black eye mask
• Yellow-buff underparts
  

Female similar but has a greyer crown

Female
Photo by Romy Ocon
Paranaque City, Philippines, October 2008

[edit] Similar Species

Isabelline Shrike: more orangey-brown upperparts
Red-backed Shrike: longer primary projection

[edit] Distribution

Breeds Northeast Asia. Winters Northeast Africa, India and Malay Archipelago.

Accidental to Alaska and Newfoundland, British Isles and Denmark.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies

This is a polytypic species, consisting of four subspecies^[1]:

• L. c. cristatus:

• Eastern Siberia to north-western Mongolia; winters to India and Malay Peninsula

• L. c. confusus:

• Manchuria and Amurland; winters to Malay Peninsula and Sumatra

• L. c. superciliosus:

• Southern Sakhalin and Japan; winters to Sumatra and Lesser Sundas

• L. c. lucionensis:

• Korea and eastern China; winters to Philippines, Borneo, Sulawesi

Juvenile
Photo by mohbhorn
State Railway Park, Bangkok, Thailand, September 2008

[edit] Habitat

Found in virtually all habitats, conspicuous and noisy, often on telephone wires. Forests and semi desert.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

Very aggressive preying on large insects (including wasps and bees), mammals and small birds.

[edit] Breeding

It nests in a tree or bush; the clutch consists of 2-6 eggs.

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Wikipedia
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links