Long-tailed Shrike Birds of Mount Abu October 2018

Long-tailed Shrike

14 October 2018

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach erythronotus   - Adult

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach erythronotus   - With Prey

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach bentet   - Squabbling 

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach bentet   -Territorial dispute

Winner takes ALL.

I've put together a slideshow of The Long-tailed Shrike over the years. 

FULL Frame Recommended 

Appreciate my handiwork.

A small video years ago

The long-tailed shrike or the "Butcher" bird as we used to refer to is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the Shrike. 

Even though there are 31 species of shrikes Most Abu can only boast of harbouring The long-tailed shrike or rufous-backed shrike, (in Hindi: Mattiya latora, Kajala latora)There has been mention of the Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus,  by (Butler (1875) found it “(uncommon”)Butler is also credited with recording the Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina melanopteraButler (1875) found it “not common” and “obtained a few specimens”. In all my years of living in Mount Abu and birding here, I have never personally come across the shrikes mentions previously.

The Long-tailed Shrike is very territorial and fights furiously over their territory. I have seen them fight and all hell breaks loose especially if the jungle warblers are around, they kind of act as spectators and hoot for the winner.

Did you know?

They are capable of vocal mimicry and include the calls of many species including lapwings, cuckoos, puppies and squirrels in their calls. (1)

Did you know why are recordings of certain species restricted?

Some species are under extreme pressure due to trapping or harassment. The open availability of high-quality recordings of these species can make the problems even worse. For this reason, streaming and downloading of these recordings is turned off.(2)

References:

(1)This singing ability makes it a popular pet in parts of southeast AsiaReferences: Sodhi, NS; Sekercioğlu, CH; Barlow, J & Robinson, S (2011). Conservation of Tropical Birds. John Wiley & Sons. p. 163.

(2) Shepherd, CR (2006). "The bird trades in Medan, North Sumatra: an overview" (PDF). BirdingASIA. 5: 16–24.