- Lanius tigrinus
Identification
17-19 cm
- Thick black-tipped blue-black bill
- Greyish-black legs
- Reddish brown back, rump and shoulders with black bars creating a tiger-like pattern
- Black mask
- Grey crown and nape
- Dull brown wings and tail
- White underparts
Female: duller with white stripe above the eye and black barring on the flanks
Young birds have dark scale-like markings and lack the grey and black head markings
Distribution
Central and eastern China, Korea, Japan, far east Russia. It winters mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Lowland forests and forest clearings and edges, cultivated land, rice fields, mangroves and gardens
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, bugs, butterflies and moths. Other small animals including birds and lizards are also taken. It usually hunts from a perch at the forest edge.
Breeding
Both adults build the nest on a branch in a deciduous tree. The clutch consists of 3-6 eggs (usually 5) which the female incubates for 14-16 days. The young fledge around two weeks later, staying close to the nest for a further two weeks.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Male
Photo by Jan Bisschop
Happy Island, May 2005
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Tiger Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Tiger_Shrike
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
