Brown Shrike

Brown Shrike

Scientific Name: Lanius cristatus

Malay Name: Tirjup Biasa

Chinese Name: 红尾伯劳

Range: Found from Siberia, Northeast China, Northern Japan to Korea, wintering to the Indian Subcontinent, Southern China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: cristatus, confusus, lucionensis, superciliosus.

Local Subspecies: cristatus, confusus, lucionensis, superciliosus

Size: 19-20.5 cm

Identification: Individuals of subspecies confusus are brown overall, have chestnut-wash flanks, dark black eye-stripe and thin white supercilium. L. cristatus lucionensis shows a slate-grey supercilium and crown with a dark black eye-stripe. L. c. superciliosus shows a brownish-red nape and mantle, thicker and white supercilium and a very strongly contrasting black eyestripe. L. c. cristatus is very similar to confusus.

Similar looking species: Tiger Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Large Woodshrike

Habitat: Open and non-forest habitats like parks and grasslands.

Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds on insects, reptiles, small birds and rodents. Prefers more open habitats while Tiger Shrike prefers more wooded areas.

Local Status: Common migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Any patch of suitable habitat.

Featured reports: Jul 2023

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak week Oct 29-Nov 04
Early date 05 Jul 2023
Late date 28 Jun 2019
One of the commonest migrant species in Singapore, but the lucionensis (with grey-washed crown) and superciliosus (with rich cinnamon on nape and crown) races deserve special attention.
Male Brown Shrike (ssp confusus) from Changi Cove. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Male Brown Shrike (ssp confusus) from Jurong West Street 22. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Juvenile Brown Shrike (ssp confusus). Photo credit: Goh Cheng Teng
Female Brown Shrike (ssp confusus). Photo credit: Mohamad Zahidi
Male Brown Shrike (ssp confusus) from Changi Cove. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Brown Shrike at Bidadari. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Brown Shrike at Bidadari. Photo credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Brown Shrike)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Lanius cristatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22705011A93995637.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Brown Shrike. Retrieved on November 15, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/brown-shrike.

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