Laniidae - Shrikes

There are around 30 bird species in this family. They are between 6-14 inches in length. They have strong, slightly hooked bills and strong, sharp claws. Most species have long, narrow tails. Shrikes are usually black, brown, or gray on their uppersides and and a paler color on their undersides.

Birds in this family prey on vertebrate and invertebrate animals. They are the only birds in the the Passeriformes order that are predators, in fact, Laniidae is Latin for butcher! They often catch small birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians and impale them on thorns or barbed wire to eat later!

Shrikes are found in all parts of the world, except for South America and Australia.

Laniidae Photo Gallery

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Breeds in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

New Hampshire Species		North/Central American Species
Loggerhead Shrike - Lanius ludovicianus Northern Shrike - Lanius excubitor		Brown Shrike - Lanius cristatus

Other Species Around the World
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North/Central America South America NH Species
Yellow-billed Shrike - Corvinella corvina White-crowned Shrike - Eurocephalus anguitimens White-rumped Shrike - Eurocephalus rueppelli Bull-headed Shrike - Lanius bucephalus Long-tailed Fiscal - Lanius cabanisi Common Fiscal - Lanius collaris Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio Burmese Shrike - Lanius collurioides Brown Shrike - Lanius cristatus Taita Fiscal - Lanius dorsalis Northern Shrike - Lanius excubitor Gray-backed Fiscal - Lanius excubitoroides Emin's Shrike - Lanius gubernator Rufous-tailed Shrike - Lanius isabellinus Loggerhead Shrike - Lanius ludovicianus		Mackinnon's Shrike - Lanius mackinnoni Uhehe Fiscal - Lanius marwitzi Lesser Gray Shrike - Lanius minor Sao Tome Fiscal - Lanius newtoni Masked Shrike - Lanius nubicus Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach Woodchat Shrike - Lanius senator Somali Fiscal - Lanius somalicus Souza's Shrike - Lanius souzae Chinese Gray Shrike - Lanius sphenocercus Gray-backed Shrike - Lanius tephronotus Tiger Shrike - Lanius tigrinus Mountain Shrike - Lanius validirostris Bay-backed Shrike - Lanius vittatus Magpie Shrike - Urolestes melanoleucus