Loggerhead Shrike

One of my favorite types of birding is the often overlooked grassland habitat so abundant in our area. It plays host to a unique and diverse set of birds that you can easily observe in the relatively open and accessible land around Chino Valley, Paulden and Dewey-Humboldt. Much can also be done from the comfort of your warm car during these cooler winter months.

For me one of the more interesting species that call this area home is the loggerhead shrike. Although it can’t technically be considered a raptor, the shrike certainly qualifies as a bird of prey, closely related to the vireo family.

Shrikes will hunt for larger insects and spiders all the way up to small mammals and even other bird species. This makes them very valuable to have around your property, as they provide free, effective and long-lasting pest control in many rural yards.

I have most often seen them preying on the large stink beetles that are so common in summer. They will work from a perch, flying out to catch whatever prey they can find, then often taking it back to the perch to consume.

However, during mating season the male shrike’s hunting takes on a more sinister-looking form. Colloquially titled the butcherbird, the loggerhead shrike will catch the prey, then impale the catch on a thorned bush or even barbed wire.

While this practice may seem macabre, it actually serves two very special purposes. It acts as a way to show a potential mate that he can provide food for her and their offspring, and it warns other males to stay out of his territory. That display, coupled with the well known avian tendency to sing for a mate, sends a strong message to rivals who look to compete for food and mates.

Speaking of song, shrikes are also known for having a beautiful if not dizzying repertoire of vocalizations at their disposal. Like mockingbirds, chats and jays, they are well known mimics, extremely talented at replicating the songs of their neighbor species. I once thought I heard a red-tail hawk in odd habitat, which turned out to be an extremely convincing Steller’s jay.

While other species do this for fun or to create alarm, it’s long been suspected that shrikes mimic smaller songbirds to lure them to their deaths. A recent study showed that when researchers played a five-minute recording of a loggerhead shrike imitating an American robin, the shrike attracted noticeably more prey-sized songbirds. In essence the shrike sets an ambush for whatever unfortunate bird takes the bait.

In its own right the loggerhead shrike is a very elegant and uniquely shaped bird, known for its beautiful songs. It can be found, generally with moderate effort, sitting atop fence posts, small trees and even telephone poles on occasion. It is smaller than any raptor in Arizona, but its bright gray primary color makes it easy to spot.

It can also be found in Arizona’s diverse desert habitats, all the way from the Sonoran Desert in the south up into the pinyon-juniper high deserts and chaparral that make up much of the Prescott area. Look for the distinctive black mask, black wings, black hooked beak and large, flat head relative to the body.

Shrikes do tend to be a bit flighty, so proceed with caution and respect when trying to observe them. With patience, you can generally get within about 25 yards, well inside binocular range. Get out there and try to find this fascinating species, which you can observe in our region 365 days a year!

Ryan Crouse manages Jay’s Bird Barn.