Classification
Order — Passeriformes.
Family — Laniidae.
Genus — Lanius.
Species — Lanius collurio.
Habitat
This bird breeds in most of Europe and western Asia and winters in tropical Africa.
The Red-backed Shrike breeds in a variety of habitats including woodland edges and clearings, open country with scattered trees and bushes, scrubby habitat and heathland, bushy areas with thorny scrub, orchards and olive groves.
It needs hunting posts allowing good view over areas of short grass, heath or bare ground where small preys are abundant.
The species can be seen in mountainous areas in some parts of the range, up to 1000/2000 metres of elevation.
On the South African wintering grounds, the Red-backed Shrike frequents fairly similar habitat types. It can be seen in savanna, grassland and Karoo (semi-desert natural region).
Outward appearance
Length: 17 cm.
Weight: 23-24 g.
Crown, nape, rump and uppertail-coverts, and chestnut mantle, back and scapulars are pale grey.
Upperwing is blackish with chestnut-edged feathers.
There is sometimes a small, white wing patch at primaries’ bases.
Tail is black but the central pair of rectrices has white base, whereas the outer pairs show white outer webs. The black terminal bands on other tail feathers form an inverted T visible in flight.
Underparts, chin and throat are white. Rest of underparts is pale salmon-pink.
Undertail-coverts are white.
On the pale grey head, the lower forehead is black.
We can see a conspicuous black eye mask from lores to rear of ear-coverts.
The hooked bill is black, with paler or bluish base outside the breeding season.
Eyes are dark brown.
Legs and feet are dark brown to black.
The female resembles male but she is paler and duller. On the head, lower forehead and supercilium are creamy-white, whereas ear-coverts are brown. Crown and upperparts are brown to greyish-brown. The nape is greyish but variable. Rump and uppertail-coverts are greyish. The tail is dark brown or slightly rufous with whitish edges and tip. On the upperwing, the fringes are paler and duller than in male.
The underparts are creamy-white with pale pinkish-buff wash on breast sides and flanks, vermiculated with blackish except on throat and undertail-coverts. Bill and legs are slightly paler than in male.
The juvenile resembles female with duller entire upperparts which are mostly rufous-brown to buffish-brown with heavy dark barring. The underparts are more heavily vermiculated. The bill has yellow base.
Feeding
Large invertebrates, voles, mice, fledglings. Impales surplus food on thorns of plants such as roses or Whitethorn, for storage until rainy periods.
Breeding
The Red-backed Shrike breeds in spring, with the laying between May and July according to the range. This species usually produces a single brood per year, rarely two.
It nests in dense bush or small tree. The nest is cup-shaped with loose foundation of green plant stems, roots, grass, lichen and other plant material. The inner cup is lined with grass, moss and fur. It is usually placed low down in dense thorny bushes.
The female lays 4-6 very variable eggs, usually pale with brown markings. The clutch is replaced if lost. The female incubates alone during about two weeks. The male rarely assists. The chicks are naked at hatching. They are brooded by the female for the first week and fed by the male. Then, both parents feed them. The young fledge 14-16 days after hatching but in bad weather, mostly up to 18-20 days.
The young are able to catch insects about two weeks after leaving the nest, but they are independent only 20 days later.
Diseases
Salmonella, Trichomoniasis, Aspergillosis, Avian pox, Mites and Lice, Lyme Disease.
