The great grey shrike is a large and predatory songbird species in the shrike family (Laniidae). It forms a superspecies with its parapatric southern relatives, the Iberian grey shrike, the Chinese grey shrike and the American loggerhead shrike. Males and females are similar in plumage, pearly grey above with a black eye-mask and white underparts.
Region
Palearctic
Typical Environment
Occurs across northern and central Europe and much of temperate Asia, with some populations wintering farther south. Prefers open country with scattered trees or shrubs, including heathlands, moorland edges, steppe, farmland with hedgerows, clear-cuts, and bog margins. Frequently uses fence posts, power lines, and isolated trees as hunting perches. Avoids dense, continuous forest and heavily urbanized areas. In winter it may occupy more lowland agricultural and scrub habitats where prey remains available.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The great grey shrike is a predatory songbird often called the 'butcherbird' for its habit of impaling prey on thorns or barbed wire to store and tear apart. It hunts from prominent perches, swooping down on insects and small vertebrates. Its bold black mask and white wing patches make it conspicuous in open landscapes.
L. e. "melanopterus" wintering in Poland
Adult male (top) and female L. e. excubitor with fledging young (bottom)
Loggerhead shrikeLanius ludovicianus
Lesser grey shrikeLanius minor
L. e. lahtora in midair
Perching sites are important features of great grey shrike habitat
An alert L. e. excubitor perching on a wire in Lasy Janowskie, Poland
Occasionally, animals as large as a young stoat (Mustela erminea) are killed and eaten by great grey shrikes
Socotra grey shrike (L. e. uncinatus) with a centipede.
Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum or B. terrestris) stuck on barbed wire in a great grey shrike's "larder"
Nesting fieldfares (Turdus pilaris) and great grey shrikes apparently cooperate to protect their offspring from predators
Unlike reed-warblers (Acrocephalus), the great grey shrike seems to have out-evolved the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) for the time being
Eggs from Ménil-en-Xaintois (France) at MHNT
Cuculus canorus canorus in a spawn of Lanius excubitor - MHNT
Lanius excubitor elegans - MHNT
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with direct, purposeful flight
Social Behavior
Typically perches conspicuously to scan for prey and defends sizable territories, especially in winter. Breeding pairs form in spring; nests are built in trees or tall shrubs with both parents provisioning young. It often creates 'larders' by impaling prey on thorns or barbed wire, which can also serve as courtship offerings.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Song is a varied, soft warble interspersed with harsher notes and skilled mimicry of other species. Calls include sharp, scolding chatters and harsh rattles used in territorial disputes.
