Masked shrike

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Masked shrike
Lanius nubicus (unmirrored).jpg
Male
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Chordata

Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family:

Laniidae

Genus:

Lanius

Species:

L. nubicus

Binomial name
Lanius nubicus
Lichtenstein, 1823
Lanius nubicus distr.png

Summer

Winter

The masked shrike (Lanius nubicus) is a bird in the shrike family, Laniidae. It
breeds in southeastern Europe and at the eastern end of the Mediterranean,
with a separate population in eastern Iraq and western Iran. It is migratory,
wintering mainly in northeast Africa. Although it is a short-range migrant,
vagrants have occurred widely elsewhere, including northern and western
Europe. It is the smallest member of its genus, long-tailed and with a hooked
bill. The male has mainly black upperparts, with white on its crown, forehead

and supercilium and large white patches on the shoulders and wings. The
throat, neck sides and underparts are white, with orange flanks and breast.
The female is a duller version of the male, with brownish black upperparts
and a grey or buff tone to the shoulders and underparts. The juvenile has
grey-brown upperparts with a paler forehead and barring from the head to
rump, barred off-white underparts and brown wings part from the white
primary patches. The species' calls are short and grating, but the song has
melodic warbler-like components.

The masked shrike's preferred habitat is open woodland with bushes and
some large trees. It is less conspicuous than its relatives, avoiding very open
country and often perching in less exposed locations. The nest is a neat cup
built in a tree by both adults, and the clutch is normally 46 eggs, which are
incubated by the female for 1416 days until hatching. The chicks are fed by
both parents until they fledge 1820 days later, and remain dependent on the
adults for about 34 weeks after leaving the nest. The masked shrike eats
mainly large insects, occasionally small vertebrates; it sometimes impales its
prey on thorns or barbed wire. Populations are decreasing in parts of the
European range, but not rapidly enough to raise serious conservation
concerns, and the species is therefore classified by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature as being of Least Concern.

Contents [hide]
1

Taxonomy

Description

2.1

Voice

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

4.1

Breeding

4.2

Feeding

Status

In culture

References

Cited texts

External links

9.1

Vocalisations

9.2

Further information

Taxonomy[edit]
The shrikes are a family of slender, long-tailed passerines, most of its
members being in the genus Lanius, the typical shrikes. They are shortnecked birds with rounded wings and a hooked tip to the bill. Most occur in
open habitats.[2] The affiliations of the masked shrike with other members of
the genus are uncertain; the "brown" shrikes (brown, red-backed and
isabelline shrikes) and tropical species like the Somali fiscal have both been
suggested as possible relatives. The masked shrike has no subspecies.[3]

The masked shrike was described by German explorer and naturalist Martin
Lichtenstein in 1823 under its current scientific name.[4] Lanius is the Latin
for a butcher, and comes from the shrikes' habit of impaling prey, reminiscent
of a butcher hanging carcasses,[5] and nubicus means "Nubian" (from
northeast Africa).[6][7] The bird was independently described by Dutch
zoologist Coenraad Temminck in 1824 as Lanius personatus, from the Latin
personatus "masked",[5] referring, as does the English name, to the bird's
appearance, but the older name takes precedence. A later synonym from
1844 was L. leucometopon from the Greek leukos, "white", and metopon,
"forehead", describing a feature of the distinctive head pattern.[8] "Shrike",
first recorded in 1545, derives from the shrill cries given by this family,[9] and
the traditional common name "butcher-bird" again refers to the characteristic
prey storage,[6] and has been in use since at least 1668.[10]

Description[edit]

Female in Israel
The masked shrike is the smallest of its genus, a slender bird which usually
weighs 2023 g (0.710.81 oz), measuring 1718.5 cm (6.77.3 in) long with
a 2426.5 cm (9.410.4 in) wingspan. It has a long tail and relatively small
bill,[3][11] on each side of which is a tomial tooth; the upper mandible bears
a triangular ridge which fits a corresponding notch in the lower mandible. This
adaptation is otherwise only found in falcons.[12]

The male has mainly black upperparts, a white crown, forehead and
supercilium. There are large white patches on the shoulders and primaries,
and the outermost tail feathers are also white. The throat, neck sides and
underparts are white, with orange on the flanks and breast. The iris is brown,
the bill is black and the legs are dark brown or black.[3][11] The female is a
duller version of the male, with brownish-black upperparts and a grey or buff
tinge to the white shoulder patches and underparts. The juvenile has greybrown upperparts with darker bars from the head to rump, a paler grey
forehead, barred off-white underparts and brown wings with white primary
patches.[13]

Masked shrikes are most similar in appearance to woodchat shrikes, but are
smaller, more slender and longer-tailed. Adults of the two species are easily
distinguished, since the masked shrike has white on its head and a dark
rump, whereas the woodchat shrike has a black crown, rusty nape and white
rump. Juveniles are more similar, but the masked shrike has a longer tail,
paler face, and grey back and rump, whereas the woodchat shrike has a
sandy back and pale grey rump.[13][14]

Juveniles moult their head, body and some wing feathers a few weeks after
fledging, and adults have a complete moult after breeding. In both cases, if
the process is not complete by the time of migration it is suspended and
completed on the wintering grounds.[13]

Voice[edit]
The masked shrike gives the harsh calls typical of this family, with repeated
tsr, tzr or shek notes and some whistles, and when alarmed produces a
rattling krrrr. The bill may be snapped when the bird is agitated. The song, up
to a minute long, is soft for a shrike, with chattering sounds interspersed with
rich warbles.[13] It resembles the songs of Hippolais species, particularly the
olive-tree warbler. On rare occasions, males may sing in flight.[15]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Juvenile
The masked shrike breeds in the Balkans, northeast Greece and some of the

Greek islands, Turkey, Cyprus and from Syria south to Israel. It also nests in
eastern Iraq and western Iran. The range in the east is uncertain, and may
include Afghanistan and northern Saudi Arabia. It is migratory, wintering
south of the Sahara, mainly in Chad, Sudan and Ethiopia. Smaller numbers
are found west to eastern Mali and Nigeria, and in northern Kenya and
southern Saudi Arabia. Most birds leave the breeding areas in late August and
September, and return north in February and March.[13]

This species is seen in Egypt, Jordan and Israel much more often in spring
than autumn, suggesting that the southern movement may be concentrated
further east. Birds will hold small territories on about 0.5 ha (1 acre) on
migration, and, unlike other shrikes, may congregate in significant numbers.
[13] More than 100 have been seen in one locality in Israel, with five in a
single bush. This shrike has occurred as a vagrant in Algeria, Finland, Kenya,
Libya, Spain, Sweden,[13] Mauritania and Turkmenistan.[3] At least three
individuals have reached Great Britain.[16][17][18]

The masked shrike's preferred habitat is open woodland with bushes and
some large trees. Unlike its relatives, it avoids very open, lightly vegetated
country. Orchards and other cultivated land with suitable old trees or large
hedges are also used by this species. It is normally found in more wooded
areas than sympatric shrikes. It occurs in lowlands and in hills up to 1,000 m
(3,300 ft). In some areas breeding occurs at greater altitudes, up to 2,000 m
(6,600 ft). It may occur in gardens and resorts on migration, and in winter
again prefers open country with thorny bushes and large trees like acacia or
introduced eucalyptus.[3]

Behaviour[edit]
The masked shrike is a solitary species except when on migration. It
maintains a breeding territory of 25 ha (512 acres) and is also territorial on
the wintering grounds, defending an area of about 3 ha (7 acres). Although
unafraid of humans, it is aggressive to its own species and other birds which
infringe on its territory. Most other shrikes use high, exposed branches
throughout the year, but the masked shrike only uses conspicuous locations
at the start of the breeding season, otherwise choosing lower, more sheltered
spots.[13] It perches upright, frequently cocking its tail, and has an easy,
agile flight.[11] A masked shrike has been recorded as feigning injury when
trapped, only to return to normal when the threat receded.[19]

Breeding[edit]

Eggs at the Musum de Toulouse

Male masked shrikes sing from perches in their territories from early April,
sometimes chasing or competing vocally with neighbouring males.[13] The
male's courtship display, usually accompanied by singing, starts with the bird
perching erect and shivering its wings on an exposed perch, and is followed
by the shrike stepping down its branch and bowing, either on the move or
while temporarily halted. The male may also give a fluttering, zigzagging
flight display. The female is sometimes fed by her mate while she crouches
with spread wings and gives begging calls. Elements of the display are shared
with other shrikes, but stepping-down and bowing on the move appear to be
confined to this species.[15]

The nest, built by both sexes, is a small, neat cup of rootlets, stems and
twigs, lined with wool or hair, and adorned with lichen externally.[3] It is
constructed in a tree 1.510 m (4.932.8 ft) above the ground and averages
170 mm (6.7 in) wide and 65 mm (2.6 in) deep, with the cup 75 mm (3.0 in)
across and a 35 mm (1.4 in) in depth.[13] Eggs are laid from April to June,
mainly in May in the lowlands and about a month later in the mountains.
Replacement clutches are laid in June or July if the nest fails, and second
broods appear to be common in at least some areas.[3] The first nest is
destroyed by the pair to provide material for a replacement breeding
attempt. The eggs average 20 x 16 mm (0.79 x 0.63 in) in size and are
variable in colour, with a background of grey, cream or yellow, diffuse grey
blotches, and a ring of brown markings.[13] The normal clutch is 46 eggs,
which are incubated by the female for 1416 days until hatching. The altricial
downy chicks are fed by both parents until they fledge 1820 days later. They
are dependent on the adults for about 34 weeks after leaving the nest.[3]
The masked shrike breeds in its first year, but its average life span is
unknown.[13]

Vertebrate predators of young birds include cats and crows.[13] This species
may also be infected by parasites, such as an eyeworm,[20] a tick,
Hyalomma marginatum,[21] and at least two species of Haemoproteus blood
parasites.[22]

Feeding[edit]
Like its relatives, the masked shrike hunts from a perch, typically 38 m (10
26 ft) high, although usually in less exposed locations than those favoured by
most other shrikes. Prey is usually taken from the ground, but occasionally
picked off foliage or caught in the air with an agile flycatcher-like flight. The
kill may be impaled on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder" for immediate or
later consumption.[11][13] Because passerines have relatively weak legs,
impalement holds the corpse while it is dismembered. It was once thought
that this behaviour was shown mainly by male shrikes in the breeding
season, but this is not the case. Masked shrikes of both sexes are known to
impale in winter and on migration.[23] Individual birds may be very tame,
following a gardener or feeding close to an observer.[13]

The masked shrike feeds mainly on large insects, although other arthropods
and small vertebrates are also caught. Shrikes fatten up before migration, but
to a lesser extent than other passerines because they can feed on the way,
sometimes taking other tired migrants.[24] Despite its relatively small size,
the masked shrike has been recorded as killing species such as lesser
whitethroat and little swift.[3] Vertebrates are killed by bill blows to the back
of the head, and the tomial teeth are then used to separate the neck bones.
[12]

Status[edit]
File:Masked Shrike fem.ogg
Female (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 1992)
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates the
European population of the masked shrike to be between 105,000300,000
individuals, suggesting a global total of 142,000600,000 birds. Although the
population appears to be declining, the decrease is not rapid enough to
trigger the IUCN vulnerability criteria. The large numbers and extensive
breeding range of about 353,000 km2 (136,000 sq mi),[25] mean that this
shrike is classified by the IUCN as being of Least Concern.[26]

Numbers have declined in recent decades in Europe, although Bulgaria,

Greece and Cyprus still have several thousand breeding pairs. Turkey is a
stronghold with up to 90,000 pairs. The species is declining in Greece and
Turkey because of habitat loss, and a large decrease in Israel is thought to be

due to pesticides. In Somalia this bird is now rare. Migrating birds are shot in
the countries around the eastern Mediterranean, despite legal protection in
most countries, and there is some persecution of breeding birds in Greece
and Syria, where this species is considered to be unlucky. There are
indications that this shrike is adapting to plantations instead of natural
woodlands, which could help populations in the longer term.[3]

In culture[edit]
The shrikes as a group have a poor reputation due to the impalement of their
victims, and common names in various languages reflect this. Examples in
English include "butcher-bird" (for most European species), "jacky hangman"
(common fiscal)[27] and "nine killer" (great grey shrike).[28] A French dialect
word, tarnagas, means "idiot" and refers to the ease with which these open
country birds can be trapped.[27]

In the 1963 film The Great Escape, a British prisoner of war, Colin Blythe, 'the
forger' (Donald Pleasence) teaches bird identification to cover his creation of
fake German travel documents. In the scene there is a drawing of a masked
shrike on a blackboard, which Colin describes as "the butcherbird... Not a
very lovable character... uniform black above, from head to tail". At this point
a black-clad prison camp guard is seen entering. An American POW, Hendley
(James Garner), says to the German that he should stay and that "you might
learn something". The German then comments that he has "better things to
do than draw birds", after which Blythe continues that the shrike's voice "is a
monotonous succession of scratchy, complaining notes".[29]

References[edit]
Jump up ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Lanius nubicus". IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species (IUCN) 2012: e.T22705099A39387359. Retrieved 4 April
2016.
Jump up ^ Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David A;
de Juana, Eduardo (eds.) (2013). "Shrikes (Lanidae)". Handbook of the Birds
of the World Alive. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
(subscription required)
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal,
Jordi; Christie, David A; de Juana, Eduardo (eds.) (2013). "Masked Shrike
(Lanius nubicus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Barcelona: Lynx

Edicions. Retrieved 11 October 2014. (subscription required)

Jump up ^ Lichtenstein (1823) p. 47.
^ Jump up to: a b Jobling (2010) p. 219.
^ Jump up to: a b Jobling (2010) p. 279.
Jump up ^ "Nubian". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
Retrieved 6 October 2014.(subscription required)
Jump up ^ Jobling (2010) p. 224.
Jump up ^ "Shrike". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
Retrieved 6 October 2014.(subscription required)
Jump up ^ "Butcher-bird". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
Retrieved 6 October 2014.(subscription required)
^ Jump up to: a b c d Snow & Perrins (1998) pp. 14471448.
^ Jump up to: a b Lefranc & Worfolk (1997) p. 23.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harris & Franklin (2000) pp. 178180.
Jump up ^ Clement, Peter. "Identification pitfalls and assessment problems:
17. Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator" (PDF). British Birds 88 (6): 291295.
^ Jump up to: a b Nikolov, Boris (2012). "Courtship-display in Masked Shrike
(Lanius nubicus, Lichtenstein 1823) undescribed behaviour of a bird species
from the Western Palearctic" (PDF). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 64 (4): 397402.
Jump up ^ Glass, Tom; Lauder, Alan W; Oksien, Mark; Shaw, Ken D (2005).
"Masked Shrike:new to Britain" (PDF). British Birds 99 (2): 6770.
Jump up ^ Stoddart, Andy; Joyner, Steve (2007). "Masked Shrike, St Mary's
November 1, 2006. First for Scilly and England". Isles of Scilly Bird and
Natural History Review 2006: 114115.
Jump up ^ Teale, Bill (28 September 2014). "Birdwatch: Masked Shrike".
Yorkshire Post (Leeds: Yorkshire Post newspapers).
Jump up ^ Simmons, Keith E L; Brownlow, H G; Godeck, J W (1951). "Trapped
Masked Shrike "feigning disablement"" (PDF). British Birds 44 (1): 20.
Jump up ^ Al-Moussawi, Azhar A; Mohammad, Mohammad K (2013). "The
eyeworm, Oxyspirura petrowi Skrjabin, 1929 (Nematoda, Thelaziidae) in the
Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus Lichtenstein, 1823 (Passeriformes, Laniidae)
collected in Baghdad city, central Iraq". International Journal of Recent

Scientific Research 4 (7): 11261128.

Jump up ^ Hoogstraal, Harry; Kaiser, Makram N; Traylor, Melvin A; Gaber,
Sobhy; Guindy, Ezzat (1961). "Ticks (Ixodoidea) on birds migrating from Africa
to Europe and Asia" (PDF). Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 24 (2):
197212. PMC 2555510. PMID 13715709.
Jump up ^ Mohammad, Mohammad K; Al-Moussawi, Azhar A (2012). "Blood
parasites of some passeriform birds in Baghdad area, central Iraq". Bulletin of
the Iraq Natural History Museum 12 (1): 2936.
Jump up ^ Beven, Geoffrey; England, M D (1969). "The impaling of prey by
shrikes" (PDF). British Birds 62 (5): 192199.
Jump up ^ Lefranc & Worfolk (1997) p. 20.
Jump up ^ "BirdLife International Species factsheet: Masked Shrike Lanius
nubicus ". BirdLife International. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
Jump up ^ "International Union for Conservation of Nature". iucn.org. IUCN.
Retrieved 20 May 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b Lefranc & Worfolk (1997) p. 17.
Jump up ^ Lockwood (1984) p. 108.
Jump up ^ Sturges, John (director) (1963). The Great Escape (film). US:
Mirisch. Event occurs at 59.5260.35.
Cited texts[edit]
Harris, Tony; Franklin, Kim (2000). Shrikes and Bush-shrikes. Princeton
University Press. ISBN 0-691-07036-9.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names.
London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Lefranc, Norbert; Worfolk, Tim (1997). Shrikes: A Guide to the Shrikes of the
World. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300073362.
Lichtenstein, Martin (1823). Verzeichniss der Doubletten des Zoologischen
Museums der Knigl. Universitt zu Berlin (in German). Berlin: Zoologisches
Museum in Berlin.
Lockwood, William Burley (1984). Oxford Book of British Bird Names. Oxford:
Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-214155-4.
Snow, David; Perrins, Christopher M, eds. (1998). The Birds of the Western
Palearctic concise edition (2 volumes). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN

978-0-19-854099-1.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lanius nubicus.
Wikispecies has information related to: Lanius nubicus
Vocalisations[edit]
Alarm call at Xeno-canto
Song at Xeno-canto
Further information[edit]
Lanius nubicus in the Flickr: Field Guide Birds of the World
Lanius nubicus on Avibase