News and Media

Announcements

5th International Shrike Symposium, Vairão Portugal - POSTPONED

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Shrike Symposium has been postponed until 2022. Follow the symposium Facebook page for future updates.

(Updated June 25, 2021)

IN THE NEWS

Predator birdie

The loggerhead shrike might appear innocuous, but it’s ready to pounce.

(Virginia Living - June 6, 2021)

This Stunning Photo Project Showcases the Loggerhead Shrike’s Gory Deeds

On Colorado’s grasslands, Rachel Hopper skillfully captures the beauty and brutality of this fierce songbird’s distinctive style of food storage.

(Audubon - Apr 22, 2020)

Dwindling loggerhead shrike numbers concern researchers

Appearing like a miniature version of a mockingbird, the loggerhead shrike looks like any other songbird until you find evidence of the shrike’s lethal side.

(Yellowhammer News - Jan 11, 2020)

This tiny songbird rolls its head to break its victim's neck

The Loggerhead Shrike is a hawk trapped in the body of a finch. A recent study, published in Biology Letters, describes how shrikes manage to kill prey up to twice their size.

(The Atlantic - Sept 5, 2018)

West-virginia wildlife: Loggerhead shrike

MONROE COUNTY, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — Recently, on a cloudy and drizzly day across the Greenbrier Valley, we took a hike through a pasture with DNR Biologist, Richard Bailey, and some veterinarians.

Their goal? To catch a bird.

What's going on with the butcher bird?

Learn about the activities happening in Virginia, led by Department of Game & Inland Fisheries Biologist, Sergio Harding.

(Published in Virgina Wildlife magazine)

Audio

NatureTalks ep. 4: The Home of the Butcher Bird
The Nature Conservancy of Canada

From the Nature Conservancy of Canada, this is the story of a globally rare ecosystem discovered by chance — and why it matters.

Videos

Wildlife Preservation Canada shrike biologist Hazel Wheeler shows how we trap wild shrikes for banding. Video credit: Josh Robertson
Learn more about what it takes to rescue an endangered species from the brink of extinction. Follow Wildlife Preservation Canada's team as they employ techniques in captive breeding and release and wild monitoring of the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike.

Webinar: Research and Conservation of an Iconic North American Grassland Bird, the Loggerhead Shrike. Presenter: Dr. Amy Chabot, Research and Conservation Program's Coordinator, African Lion Safari (Jan 28, 2019)

It might look like a lightweight, but the shrike is a stone-cold killer. The thorns of the acacia tree are perfect for impaling prey, and they double as a pantry. Lizard on the barbie, anyone?