Are there shrikes in the UK?

Two species of shrike are regular seasonal visitors to the UK and red-backed shrikes used to breed here. Two other species of shrike breed in parts of Europe but are very rare visitors to our shores. Shrike are small to medium sized birds with large round heads, slightly hooked bills and long, sharp claws.

How big is a red-backed shrike?

28 gAdult
Red-backed shrike/Mass

How do you identify a shrike?

Adults are gray birds with black masks and black in the wings and tail. They are paler below, often with faint, fine gray barring. The black mask does not go across the top of the bill. The tail is edged in white and the wings have a white flash, especially noticeable in flight.

Is a butcher bird a shrike?

Butcherbirds are insect eaters for the most part, but will also feed on small lizards and other vertebrates. Butcherbirds are the ecological counterparts of the shrikes, mainly found in Eurasia and Africa, which are only distantly related, but share the “larder” habit; shrikes are also sometimes called “butcherbirds”.

Is the red backed shrike extinct in the UK?

The Red-backed Shrike breeds in most of Europe and western Asia and winters in tropical Africa. The Red-backed Shrikes range is decreasing and it is now probably extinct in Great Britain as a breeding bird, although it is frequent on migration. The Red-backed Shrike is named as a protected bird in Britain under a Biodiversity Action Plan.

Why was the red backed shrike called the butcher bird?

Indeed, given their carnivorous diet I have always wondered why we don’t categorise shrikes as birds of prey. Once – just about within living memory – the red-backed shrike was widely found in southern Britain, where people called it the “butcher bird”, from its grisly habit of impaling its victims onto thorn bushes.

What kind of habitat does a red backed shrike live in?

Habitat includes scrub, woodland and fields. The Red-backed Shrike is known by the English common names “Wariangle” and “Worrier.” This bird impales captured insects on thorns and barbed wire, which acts as a larder. Its dramatic decline to virtual extinction as a UK breeding species make this a Red List bird.

Which is bigger house sparrow or red backed shrike?

Red-backed shrikes are slightly larger, but slimmer, than house sparrows. Its decline to virtual extinction as a UK breeding species make this a Red List bird.