One plausible reason for the decline of loggerhead shrike populations is the loss of available habitat (Luukkonen 1987, Smith and Kruse 1992, Gawlik and Bildstein 1993, Prescott and Collister 1993). It winters from Virginia to Florida. The Loggerhead Shrike is a gray bird with a black mask and white flashes in the black wings. The San Clemente Island subspecies, found on only one island off the California coast, was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1977. When perching, the shrike holds its tail nearly horizontal, whereas most other birds hold their tails pointing downward. They also hover-hunt. The loggerhead shrike ranges throughout most of North America from southern Canada to southern Mexico. In … The pair build a sturdy nest low in a dense, often thorny, tree or shrub. Its coloration is similar to a mockingbird with gray above and white below. The reasons for the loggerhead's steady decline are not clear at this point. The bulky, well-insulated open cup is neatly woven of rootlets, twigs, forbs, and bark strips and lined inside with soft material such as flowers, lichen, grass, moss, feathers, fur, string, or cloth. Insects generally dominate the Loggerhead Shrike’s diet during breeding season, while winter brings a greater reliance on vertebrate prey. Mockingbirds fly with slower wingbeats than Loggerhead Shrikes. Enlarge Image A small gray, black, and white bird of open areas, the loggerhead shrike hardly appears to be a predator.
This trend coincides with the introduction of chemical pesticides in the United States. Loggerhead Shrikes are thick-bodied songbirds. Historically,however, it was reported as being a fairly common breeder in western and central New York. Before nesting, several neighboring shrikes may gather together and call or display for several minutes. One hypothesis suggests that the abandonment of many farms and orchards, overgrown from neglect, have created unfavorable nesting habitat. Research on habitat requirements in New York and Virginia suggest that this shrike prefers areas with extensive, active pastureland. Since they lack a raptor's talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their prey on thorns or barbed wire, or wedge their kills into tight places for easy eating. Juveniles have darker barring above and below. Townsend’s Solitaires of the mountain West have a much smaller bill, small head, white eyering, and are more uniformly gray-brown, without the strong contrast of Loggerhead Shrikes. Both sexes gather material. Loggerhead Shrikes have a characteristic behavior when flying from perch to perch, starting high, then flying low to the ground, then up again to a high perch. Northern Shrikes have a narrower mask with a white upper border, and the bill often shows a pale base. The loggerhead shrike is 8 to 10 inches long with a wing spread of 12.5 to 13 inches. There are 11 recognized subspecies of this bird, which is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America. Loggerhead Shrikes inhabit open country with short vegetation and well-spaced shrubs or low trees, particularly those with spines or thorns. This information is used to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Further research is necessary before a conclusion can be reached as to the loggerhead's plight. For example, the Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (GRIP) aims to improve or restore more than 60,000 acres of habitat in focal areas in Texas and Oklahoma.
New York Status: Endangered The shrike lays four to six eggs and may raise two broods in the southern portion of its range. Loggerhead shrike populations are extremely low, and no nests have been located in New York in recent years. Climate threats facing the Loggerhead Shrike. The male feeds the female while she incubates, sometimes bringing prey cached earlier. With an uneven and local distribution, the loggerhead was never considered to be a common breeding bird in the northeast. They have large, blocky heads and a thick bill with a small hook. The upper cutting edge (tomium) of the Loggerhead Shrike’s hooked bill features a pair of built-in pointy projections, aptly named “tomial teeth.” Like a falcon, the shrike tackles vertebrate prey with a precise attack to the nape, probably using these tomial “teeth” to paralyze the animal with a jab to the spinal cord. Loggerhead Shrikes maintain territories largely through songs and displays.
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