Grey-backed Shrike - BirdForum Opus

Photo by shrikezhang
Lhasa, Tibet, June 2008

Lanius tephronotus

Identification

21–23 cm; a small long-tailed shrike

• Black facial mask through lores and eye

Distribution

Asia: China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern Himalayas, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• L. t. tephronotus:

• Nepal to Sikkim, Bhutan, northern India and west-central China

• L. t. lahulensis:

• Northern Kashmir to Ladakh and adjacent western Tibet

Habitat

Evergreen and broad-leaved forest; also open areas and forest edges

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of insects, such as crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and small invertebrates like lizards.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Grey-backed Shrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey-backed_Shrike

External Links

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