Minnesota Shrike (Northern?) (1 Viewer)

Not the greatest pictures - but hopefully good enough to confirm if this is a Northern Shrike? Only the second Shrike I have ever seen, and in both cases the birds were a mile high up in a tree.

narrow eye mask lightish color I would say northern shrike.

grindstonelake said:

Not the greatest pictures - but hopefully good enough to confirm if this is a Northern Shrike? Only the second Shrike I have ever seen, and in both cases the birds were a mile high up in a tree.

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Definitely Northern Shrike. Notice also the light barring on the underparts and heavy hooked bill. This species often perches high in trees.

I agree with Northern based on the ID marks people have mentioned. But additionally, I think has to be Northern based on location. Do Loggerhead Shrikes ever get to Minnesota? I can't find any BBA data for Minnesota, but some info from Wisconsin shows LOSH being unconfirmed breeders at only a handful of places in the state. So I suppose it could be a very early pioneer Loggerhead Shrike, but Nothern would be far more likely.

Andy - Newark, Ca

I agree with the others - Northern Shrike and I'd venture 1rst winter based on light mask and pattern on breast. I saw a Northern Shrike yesterday outside of Calgary. They'll be leaving soon returning to their northern breeding territories.
As for Loggerheads, they do show up pretty far north - they are summer breeders here in Alberta and according to my Sibley map east through about half of Minn. We'll be watching for their arrival later this spring.

I'm not sure about a 1w/2CY bird, but I don't have experience aging shrikes. Perhaps someone else can give their opinion.

If the American race is anything like the European race (it's pretty variable over its vast range, and not just in name!), the only solid character would be the presence (1st winter) or absence (adult) of pale tips on the greater coverts – which you can't see here.

A couple of comments on age and location...

The bird looks adult at first glance in the first photo, and first winter in the second. Part is the exposure difference, the tree branches are lighter in the second photo, and so is the bird's appearance (among the unappreciated but routine photographic factors which affect many of the perceptions we form about the images we see here). Also there is an out-of-focus bit of branch in the second photo which interferes with our view of the postocular stripe, making it look weak, as well as putting a touch of brown in the area, which in combination give the bird the first winter appearance that Dave refers to.

The postocular stripe is quite strong in the first photo. However, first winter birds get steadily grayer over the winter, and this bird is nearing the end of winter. Also, there is a touch of brown in the belly region in both photos, that does not appear due to vegetation. So I tend to think Dave is correct, and this is likely a first winter bird, albeit one in its last few weeks of being distinguishable from an adult (though I certainly can't be sure).

As for area, Loggerhead is more of a summer bird for WI and MN. For mid-March, a Northern Shrike (as this bird clearly is) would be much more likely. Within the next couple months the probabilities will of course reverse.

Thanks for all the feedback.

I have attached another picture that shows the side view a little better. Also, for comparison, the second and third pictures show a strike I saw about the same time last year. It is almost pure white underneath.

Is it safe to say that both are Northern Shrikes and the lighter bird is older than the darker one?

grindstonelake said:

Thanks for all the feedback.

I have attached another picture that shows the side view a little better. Also, for comparison, the second and third pictures show a strike I saw about the same time last year. It is almost pure white underneath.

Is it safe to say that both are Northern Shrikes and the lighter bird is older than the darker one?

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Yes, both are Northern Shrikes, and I agree that the one from last year is an adult (3+CY). As for the first bird posted, I just wanted to make sure we caught everything, but with the brown now on this third photo, I agree it's a 1w/2CY bird.

overworkedirish said:

Yes, both are Northern Shrikes, and I agree that the one from last year is an adult (3+CY). As for the first bird posted, I just wanted to make sure we caught everything, but with the brown now on this third photo, I agree it's a 1w/2CY bird.

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Many thanks!