Shrikes are birds that store their prey in trees. Gray shrike: bird life, habitats, interesting facts Gray shrike bird meaning in human life
Shrikes differ from many songbirds primarily in their predatory habits. Being small in size, they are able to attack small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, rodents and birds. In addition, these seemingly unremarkable birds are also unusual in that they impale their prey on branches and thorns of plants, on barbed wire, and other pointed objects, thus creating a supply of food.
These birds live on many continents, including Eurasia. In central Russia, from the Shrike family, the common shrike (Lanius collurio) is the most common. As a rule, it feeds on various insects: large beetles, small ground beetles, butterflies and grasshoppers. But sometimes it catches small lizards or frogs.
The shrike looks out for its prey from any elevation. Seeing an insect in the grass or air, he immediately rushes to him and soon returns back with a victim. Before eating it, the shrike tears the animal into pieces with its curved beak, holding it with its strong paws. But sometimes the bird does not immediately eat its prey, deciding to leave it for later. In this case, the common shrike pierces it into thorns, lays it out on top of the branches, or hangs it in the fork of a knot.
Larger species of shrike, such as the gray shrike (Lanius excubitor), prey not only on insects, but also on larger animals. For example, on birds (no larger than a bullfinch or oatmeal), mice, shrews and even young rats.
The common shrike (Lanius collurio).
Of all the shrike found in Europe, this is the most common species. In Russia zhulan occurs from Arkhangelsk to the Crimea and the Caucasus, to the east (enters Western Siberia to Tomsk and is widely distributed in Central Asia, Altai and Transbaikalia, where it forms geographical subspecies). Wintering grounds are in Africa and India.
In the middle zone of the European part of the country, beloved habitats zhulana - dense willow growths along small rivers, among water meadows, or shrubs along the slopes of field ravines.
Having met a couple of shrikes here, it is not difficult to examine the birds in all details and trace them habits. If you approach carefully, without frightening the birds, you can see a beautifully colored male sitting motionless on some dry top protruding above the shoots.
Hunched over and as if frowning sleepily, he only slowly turns his big head from side to side. You can see it well from the side. coloring- reddish-brown bright top with darker wings and tail, brownish-white bottom (throat, chest, abdomen) and a light gray head with a bright black stripe through the eye. In binoculars, a rather large beak with a hook at the end and white spots on the sides of the tail clearly stand out against the sky. The bird is about the size of a starling (about 19 centimeters long).
But the sleepy appearance of the shrike is only apparent. In fact, he vigilantly watches around, and his favorite dry branch is nothing more than a convenient observation and hunting point. It is easy to see this if, without frightening the bird, follow it for a while. A minute or two passed, and suddenly the shrike quickly rushed down to the grass near the bushes, without sitting down, grabbed someone there (clicking with its beak) and, flying low above the ground, rose with a large takeoff to the top of the opposite bush. There was a second observation post. Looking closely, you can see prey in his beak - some kind of insect. Grunting hoarsely (“check ... check ...”), the shrike sits on a branch and twirls its half-fluffed tail from side to side. These movements are so sharp and unusual that they involuntarily cause laughter. The mobility of the tail in all shrikes is remarkable, and its movements reflect the condition of the bird. Any excitement, fear, courtship of the female is accompanied by such expressive “gestures” and a hoarse cry. This characteristic manner is manifested even in very short-tailed chicks sitting in the nest.
If a shrike sits with its prey in its beak, twirls its tail briskly and “checks”, it means that it has noticed the danger, and nearby there is a nest with an incubating female or with chicks. Having calmed down, the male will carry his prey there. If she is caught for herself, then he will quickly deal with her. Having tapped the beetle, go to the grasshopper larva with its beak on a branch and stunning it, it crushes it and swallows it. If the victim is too large, then he eats it in parts. Having intercepted the prey in its paw, as if in a fist, and leaning its bare heel on a branch, the shrike tears off large pieces with its beak and swallows them, often choking and opening its beak wide. Sometimes he so swallows a whole large dragonfly, from which he tears off and eats only the head separately, and the ends of the wings stick out from the corners of the beak for some time. Since the prey is eaten almost entirely, shrikes, like predators (for example, owls), throw out the so-called pellet through the mouth, consisting of chitinous parts of insects or small bones.
The voracity of the shrike is very great. Having just dealt with one large insect, he is already looking around for a new one. prey. Despite its small size, the shrike more often than other, larger shrikes, destroys the nests of small birds and eats their chicks or eggs. He is excellent at finding nests in the most hidden places. Particularly affected by the shrike are its frequent neighbors - various warblers and warblers. With this tendency, he brings undoubted harm, only partly redeemed by the extermination of harmful insects, such as May beetles, kuska beetles and bears.
It is not difficult to find a shrike nest with chicks, because during feeding the chicks raise a desperate cry - a drawn-out, as if choking, creaky “heee ... heeee ...” Parents, excited by the approach of a person, emit warning muffled cries (“rek ... wreck ... ”or“ gre ... gre ... ”), vigorously twirl their tail and fly around a person in a wavy flight. At the nest, you can see the female, which is slightly larger than the male and differs from him in the absence of a gray tone on the head and a black eye stripe (brown stripe). Its coloration is more uniform and dull - brownish above, light gray below with wavy transverse shading (small dark brackets at the end of each feather). Juveniles in the nest and before the first molt are very similar to the female, but their dark transverse hatching is also noticeable on the upper side of the body.
On the nesting places of the shrike arrives not early (in the middle lane only at the beginning of May). For the most part, he nests only once a summer, bringing out 5-6 chicks. Nest it is easy to recognize by its size (larger than that of other shrubby birds, such as warblers, lentils) and construction. It is usually located low, in a fork among a bush (often thorny), and looks like a cup, woven on the outside from rather coarse roots, stems and moss, sometimes in a very thick layer, and lined inside with hair, plant fluff, feathers and other soft material. But some nests, apparently of young females, have a very loose, even translucent bottom. Eggs are up to 22 millimeters in length and are very variable in their main color background - yellowish, pinkish and even slightly greenish. On this background, densely or thickening to a blunt end, small brown or brownish spots are scattered.
During the nestling period, the male usually stays close to the nest, at one of the observation points, carries food to the female (or pricks it on spikes near the nest) and sings his quiet, but very varied song, in which you can hear the voices and even the whistling and humming of many his feathered neighbors. He skillfully weaves other people's sounds into his chirping and repeats them in various combinations with his own hoarse and harsh exclamations.
Young they feed on smaller prey (caterpillars, beetles) and torn parts of large ones. By the time the chicks hatch, a whole layer of torn elytra, legs and other parts of beetles and other insects usually accumulates at the bottom of the nest. By the way, dung beetles and ground beetles are used as food for chicks. Grown up chicks and fledglings are sometimes fed such huge portions that one has to wonder how they can swallow them. Broods of shrikes stay until autumn in the same nesting habitats, willingly catching dragonflies flying along the river banks. If there are large forest cuts and dry edges with brushwood and stacks of firewood nearby, then the birds move there and hunt for lizards, grasshoppers, fillies and for the gullible young of small birds (warblers, flycatchers). Sometimes in the cuts, the shrike attacks such a large lizard that it cannot carry it away.
Autumn departure, in September, passes quickly and imperceptibly, as the birds fly at night.
In the fauna, there are often specimens whose appearance is very deceptive. One of these prominent representatives is the bird Shrike.
Appearance
Outwardly, it may seem that we have an ordinary small bird in front of us. She has a dark gray back, a light gray chest, a black and white tail and wings, and a black mask flaunts on her head. There are about 30 species of shrikes, one of the most common.
But, if you take a closer look, you can see that the Shrike has a bent beak in the shape of a hook, and the beak itself is compressed on the sides.
We usually observe such a structure of the beak in birds of prey: falcons, hawks. Actually, in the Shrike this shows a predatory affiliation.
Shrike Hunting
The main diet of this beautifully singing bird is large insects (beetles) and small vertebrates: mice, small birds, and frogs.
The appearance of the Shrike is deceptive not only for people, but also for its potential victims. Its small size allows it to literally be invisible in a flock of small birds. It often happens that this predator walks nearby for some time, choosing who to profit from. At the same time, none of the birds feel the approaching danger until the moment the Shrike grabs the victim.
But this is not the only method of hunting. He can look out for his prey, being on a high tree, and, noticing it, the predator, like a hawk, flies down like a bullet and attacks. If the potential victim manages to jump back, and she starts to run away, the bird leads its pursuit, moving along the ground.
Shrikes during the hunt feel incredible excitement, and do not pay attention to almost anything except the victim. Therefore, even if it happens that the marked prey falls into the hands of a person, he can snatch it even from there.
Eating prey
The shrike is distinguished by a very unusual way of eating its prey. In order to make it most convenient to butcher, he flies to a tree or a bush and literally strings the victim on thorns or a knot. After that, he begins to methodically tear off a small piece and eat.
Therefore, if you ever come across a skin of a mouse or a lizard hanging on a tree, know that the Shrike used to eat here.
Nesting and birth of chicks
In these birds, females and males visually practically do not differ from each other. However, in "family life" they are interchangeable to perform certain functions.
To invite a female he likes to create a family, the male chooses a convenient place for nesting, and brings the first branches there. Then, he invites his chosen one, and if she agrees, then she alone is engaged in further nesting.
Listen to the voice of the shrike
While the female is incubating the eggs, the male Shrike is engaged in the extraction of food and feeds both of them. If she needs to leave, he himself will sit on the eggs in the nest without any problems.
When the chicks are born, the parents begin to hunt together, not forgetting to protect their offspring. It must be said that in order to protect their nest and babies, they will not be afraid to fight even with a larger and stronger bird.
There are so many songbirds in our forests. Walking along the forest path, you can hear the wonderful trills and sonorous voices of different birds. The shrike is also one of them.
One of the most common species of these birds is the gray shrike, a resident of Russian forests. That is why we will talk about him, because we simply have to know about our smaller brothers, and even more so about those who live in our country. The gray shrike is a bird from the order of passeriformes, the family - shrikes, the genus - shrikes.
How to recognize a shrike by external signs
You can’t call a shrike a completely small bird. Its length is about 25 - 26 centimeters. This feathered singer weighs approximately 70 grams.
Separately, it is worth describing the plumage of this bird. Almost the entire body of the shrike is covered with light gray feathers of an ashy shade. The tail has a predominantly black color, in some places white inserts are visible. The area of the eyes is highlighted in the bird with horizontal black stripes, it seems that the face of the shrike is wearing a mask (or sunglasses).
The gray bird wears a black "mask". Male shrike are slightly larger and heavier than females.
Habitat of the gray shrike
These birds are inhabitants of the northern hemisphere. They can often be found in Eurasia, the territory of their residence stretches from north to south to the 50th parallel. The same applies to the continent of North America. In our country, this bird inhabits exclusively the northern regions. The shrike does not welcome the territory of the British Isles and avoids Iceland - you will never meet these birds here.
Gray shrike lifestyle
Most often, this songbird can be observed on the edges of the forest, next to field marshes, in meadows overgrown with shrubs or in clearings. Most of the time the shrike spends on the tops of trees, in dense foliage. But you should not rely too much on getting to know this bird - in relation to a person, the gray shrike behaves very carefully and tries to avoid human society. But if you fail to see him, then you will definitely hear this songbird, because the shrike sings its sonorous trills almost all the time.
Gray shrikes live, as a rule, one by one. Only for the time of breeding offspring do they create families.
Did you know that shrikes are real bullies? They can specifically take and warn animals nearby with their singing that a predator has entered their territory. Probably, with such behavior, the shrike makes many enemies for itself! And this songbird is also famous for its habit of surviving all birds from its territory, even those that are much larger than it. So badass - but at first glance you can’t tell!
Shrikes are predators by way of feeding; they look out for their prey, sitting on the upper branches. Having found a potential victim, the shrike boldly rushes at it.
So what does the shrike predator eat?
Its diet includes small vertebrates: these are small birds, voles, and shrews. Sometimes a shrike can pounce on a young rat. This brave hunter is not afraid of anything!
Reproduction of gray shrikes
In the middle of spring, these birds have a mating season. The resulting pair begins to build a nest. As a rule, it is located at a height of 6 - 7 meters from the ground. When the nest is ready, the female gray shrike starts laying eggs. One female is able to lay 5 - 6 pieces.
The period of incubation of chicks lasts about two weeks. Babies who are born eat food brought to them by their parents. This has been going on for three weeks. In the middle of summer, the young already leave the nest of their parents, although they are close to them.
Type:
Class:
Squad:
Sparrows - PasseriformesSystematic position
Shrike family - Laniidae.Status
3 "Rare" - 3, RD. In the Red Book of the Russian Federation, the nominative subspecies of the gray shrike (Lanius excubitor excubitor) is classified as "3 - Rare".Global population endangered category on the IUCN Red List
Least Concern - Least Concern, LC ver. 3.1 (2001).Category according to IUCN Red List criteria
The regional population belongs to the Near Threatened, NT category. R. A. Mnatsekanov.Belonging to the objects of action of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation
Not belong.Brief morphological description
A large shrike the size of a thrush. Wing length ♂107.0-123.8 mm, ♀
104.9–121.0 mm, weight 65–85 g. Upper beak with a tooth and preapical notch, beak length 14–18.6 mm. In adult birds, the upper parts of the body are pale bluish or ash gray; the underside is white or with grayish-brown brackets, less often with a slight pink bloom. The superciliary stripe and shoulders are white. A wide black stripe runs through the eye to the ear area. The wings are black with one or two white spots, the ends of the secondaries are with white edges. The middle pair of tail feathers is black or black with a white apical spot, the rest of the tail feathers are with various shades of white (to pure white). Beak and legs are black. Juveniles are brown or reddish-brown above, with an ocher or brownish bloom below and a pattern of gray or brown brackets. The beak and legs are flesh or brown. It differs from the black-fronted shrike (Lanius minor) in field conditions by its larger size, less colored, light underside of the body, and the absence of a black stripe on the forehead, connecting with the stripes passing through the eyes.
Spreading
The global range includes almost the entire Palearctic from the Canary Islands to Chukotka and the Kuril Islands, from the forest tundra to the Sahara, Arabia, Iran; individual populations nest south of the Sahara in the tropics, as well as in northern India; inhabits the forest-tundra and taiga of North America. Within the limits of the range, it is distributed sporadically, does not nest in the vast territories of Central and East Asia. In the Russian Federation, it occurs from the western borders of Russia east to Chukotka, the northern and western coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk. To the north to the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula, the mouths of the Pechora, Ob, Taz rivers; in the river valley Khatanga up to 680 s. sh., in the interfluve of Lena and Indigirka up to 710 s. sh., to the lower reaches of the river. Kolyma. South west of the river Volga up to 510 s. sh., east of the Caspian Sea south to the borders of Russia, between the lake. Baikal and the Sea of Okhotsk border runs in the northern part of the Vitim Plateau and the Stanovoy Ridge. . The regional range is the wintering area of the species, it includes the entire plain and mountain (up to and including the middle mountains) parts of the region. There are two subspecies on the wintering ground in the region: L. excubitor and L. excubitor homeyeri Cabanis, 1873. Information about the nesting of the gray shrike in the Slavyansk and Dinsk districts is not documented. Data on meetings in the summer on the Taman Peninsula, in the vicinity of Krasnodar, in the valley of the river. Malaya Laba require further study.Features of biology and ecology
The nesting season lasts from April to August. The nest is arranged on the branches of trees at a height of up to 20 m. The clutch contains 3–8, more often 5–7 eggs. The chicks stay in the nest for about 17–20 days. It appears in KK for wintering from mid-October and stays until the end of March. On the plain it is found in open spaces with separate trees or their groups, in the forest belt it lives along the edges of the forest, clearings to the zone of mixed forests. Stays alone. As an attachment, the garden uses the tops of trees and shrubs, sits down on the wires of power lines. In the diet on the territory of KK, the following were noted: field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), crickets, ground beetles (Carabus), crested lark (Galerida cristata), hunting of gray shrike for great tit (Parus major), field lark (Alauda arvensis) was also noted , mistletoe (Turdus viscivorus).Numbers and trends
Number data are not available. L. excubitor excubitor is most common in the Oksky Nature Reserve, where 50 pairs inhabit an area of 230 km2. In KK, the total number is unknown; the literature provides information on individual meetings of birds in various parts of the region. No special account was taken.Limiting factors
Not studied.Necessary and additional security measures
Carrying out surveys in various biotopes of the region in winter period. Conducting explanatory work on the status of the species.Sources of information
1. Averin, Nasimovich, 1938; 2. Butiev, Mishchenko, 2001; 3. Emtyl et al., 1994; 4. Emtyl et al., 1996; 5. Zharova, Zharov, 1962; 6. Zabolotny, Khokhlov, 1997; 7. Koblik, 2001c; 8. Lohman et al., 2005; 9. Markitan, 1997; 10. Mnatsekanov, 1999b; 11. Naidanov I. S., Naidanov A. S., 2002; 12. Ochapovsky, 1967a; 13. Portenko, 1960; 14. Stepanyan, 2003; 15. Tilba, 1999a; 16. Tilba, 2001a; 17. Khokhlov et al., 2006; 18. IUCN, 2004; 19. Unpublished data of the compiler.This subspecies of shrike, which lives in Eurasia and Africa, is distinguished by the fact that it stores its prey on the branches of trees.
Source: //trinixy.ru/
shrikes
Shrike family— Laniidae… These birds combine features of passerines and birds of prey. Shrikes are small in size: size 15-30 cm, weight 20-120.
There are up to 69 species belonging to 9-12 years old. Different taxonomists distinguish from 2 to 4 families. Shrikes live in Eurasia, Africa, where their diversity is greatest, and in North America.
Shrikes are densely built birds. Their strong and laterally compressed beak is slightly shorter than the head and ends with a hook bent downwards. By this, and also by the presence of a preapical tooth of the mandible, shrikes are similar to falcons. In the corners of the mouth they have well developed sensitive setae. They help to catch moving insects. The tail is long, stepped, sometimes rounded. The coloration is varied, but in northern species it is soft, including shades of gray, brown and white. Tropical shrikes are sometimes painted very colorfully. Males are somewhat larger than females, and in some species they are brighter colored. Males and females sing. The latter have a simpler song.
Shrikes inhabit a variety of landscapes with shrubs both in the mountains and on the plains. Cup-shaped nests are built by both partners, strengthening them in the fork of branches at different heights, mainly in dense shrubs. The clutch consists of 4-6 motley eggs, which are incubated by both partners or by one female, but the male feeds her. Incubation time is 14-16 days. Both parents feed the chicks. After 2 - 2.5 weeks, the chicks leave the nest and for about two more weeks they are fed by their parents. After acquiring independence, the brood breaks up and the shrikes pass to a solitary lifestyle.
D. Kaigorodov writes: “The predatory instincts of shrikes are extremely highly developed. These birds catch and kill their prey, apparently, even when they are completely full. Shrikes usually feed on large insects, lying in wait for them from a perch - a dry branch or telegraph wires. Butterflies, beetles, locusts, dragonflies, and, on occasion, mice, eggs and chicks of small birds, lizards become their victims. Shrikes prick large prey on a thorn or a sharp knot, and then tear it apart. Often they store impaled insects and small vertebrates on thorns in reserve.
Regarding the song, it should be noted that shrikes are excellent mockingbirds. For this they are kept at home by some lovers of bird singing. Here is how A. Brem characterizes shrikes: “On the highest branches of trees standing alone among the fields, on prominent branches of shrubs, on poles, piles, boundary pillars and other high places, one can often see a sitting bird, proud as a falcon, attentive as an eagle and restless as a flycatcher. In the spring it happens to be heard that she sings a rather long song, and if you listen carefully to her, you will notice that she, in fact, is only a mixture of all kinds of alien sounds that the bird has overheard from the singers living around her and repeats in the most amusing way. The whole fabric of the song, which she weaves little by little, is so pleasant and attractive that you can listen to the cheat with pleasure.
There are several versions about the origin of the word "shrike". One of the old names ends with the letter "d", so the word consists of two roots that give the word - forty pounds. Professor D. Kaigorodov argues with this version. He claims that this bird resembles a magpie in its appearance. “As for the end of the “fetters,” it is most likely added as a characteristic of the imitative singing of these birds, confusing the voices of other feathered pets in their songs,” says this author. K.N. Kartashev in his book "Systematics of Birds" points to the property of mocking shrikes "to weave fetters for forty birds", that is, to imitate their voices, thereby misleading people and the birds themselves.
There are 9 species of shrikes in our country. Of these, the most famous zhulan (Lanins cristatus) living in most of the country, except for the tundra zone. This is a small bird, slightly larger than a sparrow. In males inhabiting Europe and Western Siberia, the upper part of the head and neck are gray, the back is chestnut, and the tail, wings and a wide strip running through the eye to the ear are black. The lower part of the body and the extreme helmsmen are white. In birds living in the east, the black color in plumage is replaced by clay brown, while the stripe running through the pelvis is brown. Females are buffy-brown above, off-white below with a dark scaly pattern.
Shrike is found most often in river valleys, on the edges of forests, in gardens and parks, that is, wherever there are bushes or individual dense bushes. Birds make their nests in them. The presence of a shrike can be detected immediately. One bird from a pair, usually a male, sits in a conspicuous place. When approaching the observer's nest, it makes sounds resembling a sharp “check-check” or a loud “chyaa-chzhyaa”.
Zhulans are most often found among bird lovers, they are good mockingbirds. Sometimes the cells contain gray shrike (Lanins excubitor), a large white-gray bird, less often another species. R.L. Boehme lived for several years long-tailed shrike, or shah (Laninsschach) who has a harsh and crackling voice.
Shrikes very quickly become tame and take food directly from their hands. Because of their predatory nature, which is a danger to other birds, these birds should be kept alone in cages. I recall a case told by G. Lafer, an entomologist, but a great lover of birds. He caught songbirds for himself during the spring migration. It happened in the south of Primorsky Krai. His semolina bird was a male Dubrovnik bunting. This bird was crippled, had only one leg and one healthy eye. Probably, this feature attracted the attention of the migrant shrike. Before the hunter had time to come to his senses, the shrike flew up to the cage and grabbed the unfortunate Dubrovnik by the head with its beak through the bars. Lafer realized that Dubrovnik was already lost for him, so he covered the shrike with a net. This bird lived in his apartment for a long time, delighting with its varied song.
Vladimir Ostapenko. "Birds in your house". Moscow, Ariadia, 1996
