Chinese Grey Shrike - BirdForum Opus

Chinese Grey Shrike
Photo © by BIJ
Yeyahu Nature Reserve, Beijing, China, February 2009

Lanius sphenocercus

Identification

29–31 cm (11½-12¼ in)

• Pale grey cap and upper back
• Darker grey and white lower back and tail
• White underparts
• Black eye stripe

Distribution

Asia: found in Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, China, Tibet, North Korea and Taiwan.

Taxonomy

Tibetan Grey Shrike
Photo © by James Eaton
Shaanxi, North China, May 2010

There are two subspecies:

• L. s. sphenocercus:

• Mountains of eastern Russia (Amur region) to north-eastern and central China

• L. s. giganteus:

• Mountains of eastern Tibet; winters to south-eastern China; sometimes split as Tibetan Grey Shrike L. giganteus

Habitat

Wetlands, open fields and grassland, low scrub and tall grass margins of rice fields.

Behaviour

Photo © by Godwin Chan
Hong Kong, January 2020

Breeding

They construct a large nest from twigs and grasses, placed in a tree. The clutch consists of 4-5 eggs which are incubated by the female for 16-17 days.

Diet

The diet includes small rodents and large insects.

Vocalisation

Heard making two distinct songs a higher pitched soft churring note followed by a lower pitched two-note song repeated three times.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. BirdsKorea
4. BirdForum Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Chinese Grey Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 June 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Chinese_Grey_Shrike

External Links

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