Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio

Other Names

    Pie-grièche écorcheur   Neuntöter   Alcaudón Dorsirrojo   Törnskata   Grauwe Klauwier   Averla piccola

World: Palearctic from British Isles to northern China and Mongolia and S as far as the Mediterranean. Winters in Africa and in the S of its breeding range.

Kenya: Passage migrant Nov-Dec and April which is common in open country up to 3000m in suitable areas.

Outside the breeding season this is a mainly solitary bird. It hunts from a low, exposed perch waiting for its prey which consists of insects (particularly beetles) as well as small birds, mammals and reptiles. Prey is either identified at a distance (large insects can be spotted as far away as 30m) in which case the bird uses a shallow glide to reach it and may then hover briefly before dropping onto it. Prey is also spotted directly below the perch in which case the bird drops straight down onto it. In some cases Red-backed Shrikes will pursue their prey and take them in flight. Regardless of the method adopted, prey is almost always brought back to the perch for consumption or storage (impaling on a thorn, twig or piece of barbed wire). This impaling is particularly important when it comes to larger prey (small mammals etc) because the bird is unable to dismember prey in the way a raptor will ie holding with a foot while ripping open the body.

During the migration the Red-backed Shrike overlaps habitat with the Red-tailed Shrike and the 2 can be difficult to distinguish but the Red-backed is rather darker than the Red-tailed.