Loggerhead shrike : North Carolina wildlife profiles

' NORTH x CAROLINA Ж RESOURCES » COMMISSION . Loggerhead Shrike North Carolina Wildlife Profiles Dick Daniels L°ggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus In parts of the South, the loggerhead shrike is colloquially referred to as French mockingbird and butcherbird. A very similar species, the Northern shrike, breeds sparingly in the far north of this continent and in Europe. There are 72 shrike spe¬ cies worldwide, with the majority found in the arid parts of the African continent. Description The loggerhead shrike is gray above and white beneath. The wings and tail are black with considerable white showing when the bird is in flight. A trim black mask serves to separate the gray of the head from the white throat and underparts. Superficially, the bird resembles the familiar and more common mockingbird, and at least one popular field guide compares the two species in flight for clarification. The mockingbird has a thinner silhouette with a noticeably longer tail. The obviously larger head of the shrike is apparent, especially when the bird is observed perched. History and Status The loggerhead shrike, so named for its large head, was probably never a com¬ mon bird in in the eastern United States before the arrival of the colonists. It requires large, open areas - conditions seldom found before the arrival of colonists. Land cleared for pasturing livestock (enclosed with barbed wire) favored the expansion of this species, especially where hedgerow's were allowed to exist. Such environmental changes resulted in range expansion of shrikes over eastern North America. By the end of the 19th century, numbers peaked with a breeding range extending from New' Brunswick, southern Quebec and southeast Manitoba south to Florida and the Gulf Coast. Since then, for unknown reasons, the northern portions of the loggerhead shrike’s breeding range have collapsed. Habitats & Habits At a glance, the loggerhead shrike may be mistaken for the similar-looking and more common mockingbird. John Carpenter Range and Distribution In North Carolina, numbers of breeding shrikes vary from "locally fairly common" in some southerly counties, such as Cleveland, to "virtual extirpation" in Forsyth and other northern Piedmont counties near and border- ing Virginia. Numbers west of the Piedmont have never been significant and may be declining. No larger than a robin, this predator}’ songbird has a curious liking for food items that one usually associates with the Falconiformes, members of the hawk family. Adept at catching insects, small mammals, snakes and small birds, the loggerhead shrike is an enigma among the songbirds of the United States. Clearly a species of open, grassy space, this shrike forages from treetops and electric wires up to 35 feet high. It sw'oops to the ground and captures and consumes small prey on the spot. A bite at the base of the skull with its powerful, hooked beak quickly dispatches larger prey. The shrike then impales the prey on a barbed- wire fence or a convenient thorn. It tears oft edible portions and sw'allows them whole -bone, fur, feathers etc. and later regurgitates them. Because of its small size and lack of large talons for gripping, the shrike has learned to use “tools" such as thorns or barbed wire in its Range Map ■ Loggerhead Shrike Range Map