Unique Qualities:

A Loggerhead Shrike has a black facemask that resembles a raccoon, a heavy, hooked beak and a head that seems too large for its body. This is how it got the name “loggerhead” which means “blockhead”! Shrikes are best known for their grisly habit of impaling their prey on thorns or barbed wire before eating it.

Can be Seen:

The Eastern Loggerhead Shrike can be found in Southeast Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. The Prairie Loggerhead Shrike lives in the southern part of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Likes to Hang Out:

Shrikes live in open areas, mainly in grasslands. They like to hang around places with short grasses where they can easily spot and catch their prey. They are often seen perched on treetops, fence posts or utility wires where they have a good view of the area.

Likes to Eat:

Loggerhead Shrikes like to eat insects such as beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers and crickets. On a good day, they might catch bigger vertebrates such as snakes, small birds and mice. A shrike kills its prey by swooping down towards the ground and striking with its strong hooked beak to break its neck. Then the bird pushes its meal onto thorns or barbed wire where it can tear it apart.

Status:

The Eastern Loggerhead Shrike is endangered and the Prairie Loggerhead Shrike is considered threatened. There are only about 100 Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes left in Canada. Both species have been severely affected by intensive farming and city sprawl, which has destroyed much of their habitat. As with many Canadian bird species, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers affect their health and their ability to reproduce.

Extra Info:

• Shrikes are important because they are considered an “indicator” species, meaning that what affects them can also affect other bird species such as the Henslow’s Sparrow, the Short-eared Owl, the Upland Sandpiper, etc.
• The Eastern Loggerhead Shrike declined more than any other grassland bird between 1970 and 1991.

Did You Know?

When there is a healthy Shrike population, the environment is considered healthy too. That’s because Shrikes are predators at the top of the food chain, and they are affected the most by toxins in the ecosystem.