Animals

Facts about great grey shrike

14 great grey shrike facts

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?
Follow us on Google News Get random facts

Similar topics

Facts about Northern pike
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 ...
Northern pike thumbnail
Facts about tiger sharks
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 ...
Tiger sharks thumbnail
Facts about Common cuckoo
They are known for their distinctive mating song, which resounds with the familiar "cuckoo" repeated in two or three syllables. Another interesting fe ...
Common cuckoo thumbnail
Facts about Great spotted woodpecker
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 ...
Great spotted woodpecker thumbnail
Facts about Adelie penguin
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 ...
Adelie penguin thumbnail
Facts about Laughing kookaburra
Laughing kookaburra is the largest member of a kingfisher family. It is best known for the distinctive sound it emits, which perfectly resembles human ...
Laughing kookaburra thumbnail
Facts about American robin
There are many interesting stories about American robins. They travel a lot, sometimes pay unexpected visit to other continent and can cooperate to fe ...
American robin thumbnail
Facts about Kiwi bird
Endemic to New Zealand, kiwis are the smallest known ratites in the world. Their distinctive build and atypical characteristics made them internationa ...
Kiwi bird thumbnail

Latest topics

Facts about Mali Empire
The origins of Mali's empire date back to the early 13th century, when the country's first ruler won a victory at the Battle of Kuolikoro and took con ...
Facts about tropical rainforests
Tropical rainforests have existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, and most of them now cover parts of the Mesozoic supercontinent of Gondw ...
Facts about Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace was a British poet and mathematician who lived in the first half of the 19th century. She was the daughter of one of Britain's greatest d ...
Facts about toco toucan
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 ...
Facts about hummingbirds
Hummingbirds first appeared on Earth about 22 million years ago in South America. To this day, they live exclusively in the intertropical zone of the ...
Facts about mount Kilimanjaro
Approximately 50,000 people make the trek to Africa's highest mountain each year. This solitary massif rises to an altitude of 5895 meters and is loca ...
Facts about Shoebill
The Shoebill is a large African bird that lives in wetlands far from human settlements. Its characteristic large, massive beak, which resembles a wood ...
Facts about Constantine the Great
Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor who reigned from 306 to 337 AD. He was the author of numerous social, economic ...

Related content

Northern pike thumbnail
Facts about Northern pike
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 ...
Tiger sharks thumbnail
Facts about tiger sharks
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 ...
Common cuckoo thumbnail
Facts about Common cuckoo
They are known for their distinctive mating song, which resounds with the familiar "cuckoo" repeated in two or three syllables. Another interesting fe ...
Great spotted woodpecker thumbnail
Facts about Great spotted woodpecker
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 ...
Adelie penguin thumbnail
Facts about Adelie penguin
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 ...
Laughing kookaburra thumbnail
Facts about Laughing kookaburra
Laughing kookaburra is the largest member of a kingfisher family. It is best known for the distinctive sound it emits, which perfectly resembles human ...
American robin thumbnail
Facts about American robin
There are many interesting stories about American robins. They travel a lot, sometimes pay unexpected visit to other continent and can cooperate to fe ...
Kiwi bird thumbnail
Facts about Kiwi bird
Endemic to New Zealand, kiwis are the smallest known ratites in the world. Their distinctive build and atypical characteristics made them internationa ...
Shoebill thumbnail
Facts about Shoebill
The Shoebill is a large African bird that lives in wetlands far from human settlements. Its characteristic large, massive beak, which resembles a wood ...
Toco toucan thumbnail
Facts about toco toucan
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 ...
Bird of Paradise thumbnail
Facts about Bird of Paradise
These unusual birds were spoken of as early as the 16th century. They were admired by European sailors and merchants, to whom the natives were the fir ...
White-browed tit-warbler thumbnail
Facts about White-browed tit-warbler
The white-browed tit-warbler is one of the most beautiful birds. Its amazing coloration causes admiration for nature and its possibilities. It inhabit ...