- Lanius nubicus
Identification
17–18·5 cm (6¾-7¼ in)
- Black upperparts, crown and long tail
- Black wings with large white patches
- White forehead spreader over eye
- Broad black line through the eye
- Orange flanks
- White underparts
Female and young birds: the upperparts are dark grey rather than black, and the duller orange flanks.
Distribution
From Greece to Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Syria to South West Iran. Winters in Arabia and Central Africa.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Open woodland and cultivated country with large scattered trees.
Behaviour
Breeding
The nest is built in a tree. The clutch contains 4-7 eggs. They may lay again, especially if the first attempt fails.
Diet
Their main diet consists of large insects, such as crickets. They will also eat some small birds, voles and lizards which are impaled on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Masked Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Masked_Shrike
