Animals

Facts about great grey shrike

We found 14 facts about great grey shrike

Lanius excubitor

These small birds, compared in size to a sparrow or a blackbird, enjoy the infamous reputation of being the most brutal birds in the world. They are nicknamed Hannibal Lecter thanks to their eating habits. Their menu includes insects, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, sometimes birds, all of which are often impaled on various spiky objects to be consumed at a preferred time. Their feeding grounds may look gruesome.

Great grey shrike
1
It is a predatory songbird from the family Laniidae.
2
It can be sighted in most European countries, northwestern and northeastern parts of Africa, and eastern Asia.
3
It is the largest of shrikes encountered in Europe.
4
On average, the great grey shrike measures up to 26 centimeters with an 11-centimeter long tail, and weighs approximately 70 grams.
5
Great grey shrikes are light-gray, with black stripes under the eye, on the wings and the tail, and a white underbelly.
6
Their beaks are short, black, and hooked like a bird of prey.
7
Their sexual dimorphism is not visible through coloration.
Both males and females look the same.
8
Great grey shrikes are carnivores.
They primarily feed on rodents, like lemmings, but also hunt for newts, salamanders, bats, fish, frogs, and toads. They also prey on insects, such as grasshoppers, beetles, bumblebees or crickets.

They are also known for eating other birds.
9
Great grey shrikes are known for impaling their prey.
Often the prey is still alive while being impaled on wires, spikes, or thorns. Shrikes do it both to keep their meal still for consumption or leave it to consume later. Sometimes, when their prey contains toxins, like certain species of grasshoppers, shrikes come back to their impaled prey after several days once the toxin degrades, so it can be safely consumed.
10
It awaits its prey on the tree top but is also known for hovering.
11
It expresses serial monogamy.
Pairs bond for a specific mating season. Typically, the next-year mate is different from the one from a year before.
12
Great grey shrike female lays up to nine eggs per clutch, an average of seven.
The young hatch after 16 to 21 days of incubation.
13
Offspring are cared for by parents and other group members called helpers.
14
It has been listed under the least concerned by the UICN Red List.
Hungry for more facts?

Similar topics

26 facts about Northern pike
26 facts about Northern pike
Esox lucius
It is one of the best-known freshwater fishes. The predatory northern pike is equipped with sharp and long teeth, perfect for holding prey. Inattentiv ...
18 facts about tiger sharks
18 facts about tiger sharks
Galeocerdo cuvier
Tiger sharks are one of the deadliest of all known shark species. Although they do not normally prey on humans, they will not hesitate to attack. They ...
20 facts about Common cuckoo
20 facts about Common cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
They are known for their distinctive mating song, which resounds with the familiar "cuckoo" repeated in two or three syllables. Another interesting fe ...
19 facts about Great spotted woodpecker
19 facts about Great spotted woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
It rarely migrates; rather, it is a bird bound to its roost. It is not a songbird; instead, it makes its presence known by rumbling against the trunk ...
16 facts about toco toucan
16 facts about toco toucan
Ramphastos toco - a bird with an impressive bill
The Toco Toucan is the largest and best-known species of toucan found in the tropical forests of South America. It is one of the most popular birds in ...
14 facts about Adelie penguin
14 facts about Adelie penguin
Pygoscelis adeliae
There are 18 species of penguins on earth. Adélie penguins belong to the medium-sized ones. They are very social animals and loyal partners. They als ...
17 facts about Tawny frogmouth
17 facts about Tawny frogmouth
Second most popular bird in Australia
There are 16 species of frogmouth divided into 3 genera. They inhabit forests across Australia and southern Asia. Most popular species of this bird is ...
14 facts about  Hyacinth macaw
14 facts about Hyacinth macaw
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus - The largest of the flying parrots
Extremely beautiful, appreciated by breeders around the world. It is found in areas of South America, in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, but the most numer ...

Latest topics

20 facts about beer
20 facts about beer
World’s third most popular beverage
It is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages produced. The first archaeological evidence of brewing dates back 13,000 years ago from the territory of I ...
15 facts about StarCraft
15 facts about StarCraft
The computer game classic of the 1990s
For gamers whose childhood and early youth were in the 1990s, StarCraft can evoke nostalgia. This already classic title lived to see a sequel in 2010, ...
12 facts about capybaras
12 facts about capybaras
The world’s largest rodent and social media star
The capybara, the largest rodent known to us today, is an animal with a very pleasant disposition and appearance, living both an aquatic and terrestri ...
20 facts about Amazon River
20 facts about Amazon River
Its basin covers nearly half of South America
In the year 1500, European explorers stumbled upon one of the most remarkable wonders on the planet: the amazing Amazon River. This majestic waterway ...
13 facts about churro
13 facts about churro
A dessert worth the sin
Churros are known to all lovers of Spanish and Latin American cuisine, but few may realize that their genesis, in all likelihood, took place in the Fa ...
29 facts about Colorado
29 facts about Colorado
Centennial State
Colorado is one of the larger American states, bordered by longitude and latitude. The state is famous for its varied landscape of mountains, forests, ...
18 facts about Roland Garros
18 facts about Roland Garros
French pioneer of aviation who played tennis only a few times in his life
Roland Garros was a French aviator who played an important role in the history of aviation. He began his aviation career in 1909 and achieved many aer ...
24 facts about Sri Lanka
24 facts about Sri Lanka
The “Land of Smiles”
Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean. Previously, until 1972, both the country and the island on which it lies were known to the world a ...

Similar topics