The red-backed shrike wasformally described by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in 1758 in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under its currentbinomial nameLanius collurio.[2] The genus name,Lanius, is derived from theLatin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The specificcollurio is fromAncient Greekkollurion, a bird mentioned byAristotle.[3] The common English name "shrike" is fromMiddle English*schrike,*schryke, fromOld Englishsċrīc, "shriek", from the same root asshriek andscreech, referring to the bird's shrill cry or call.[4]
This 16–18 cm-long (6.3–7.1 in)migratory bird eats largeinsects, smallbirds,frogs,rodents andlizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder." This practice has earned it the nickname of "butcher bird."[5]
The general colour of the male's upper parts is reddish. It has a grey head and a typical shrike black stripe through the eye. Underparts are tinged pink, and the tail has a black and white pattern similar to that of awheatear. In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated.[5]
This bird breeds in most ofEurope andwestern Asia and winters in tropicalAfrica. The bird is listed as a "least concern" (LC) species on a global scale,[1] but some parts of its range have seen a steep decline in numbers, so locally its status can be less secure.[6]
Once a common migratory visitor to Great Britain, numbers declined sharply during the 20th century, and it is now classified as a UK 'Red List' species.[5] The bird's last stronghold was inBreckland but by 1988 just a single pair remained, successfully raising young atSanton Downham. The following year for the first time no nests were recorded in the UK. But since then sporadic breeding has taken place, mostly inScotland andWales. In September 2010 theRSPB announced that a pair had raised chicks at a secret location onDartmoor where the bird last bred in 1970.[7] In 2011, two pairs nested in the same locality, fledging seven young.[8] In 2012 there was another breeding attempt, this time unsuccessful, probably due to a prolonged spell of wet weather.[9] In 2013 breeding was again confirmed in Devon, with two young fledged at a new site.[10] The return to south-western England was an unexpected development, raising speculation that a warming climate might assist the bird in re-colonising some of its former haunts.[6] However, since then breeding has been confirmed on only two occasions, both inShetland, in 2015 and 2020.[11]
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