About Lanius collurio Linnaeus, 1758
This species, Lanius collurio Linnaeus, 1758, is a migratory bird 16 to 18 centimeters (6.3 to 7.1 inches) in length. Its diet includes large insects, small birds, frogs, rodents, and lizards. Like other shrikes, it hunts from visible prominent perches, and impales prey corpses on thorns or barbed wire to store as a larder. This characteristic practice has given it the common nickname "butcher bird".
Physically, adult males have reddish upperparts, a grey head, and the characteristic shrike black stripe running through the eye. The underparts are tinged pink, and the tail has a black and white pattern similar to that of a wheatear. Females and young individuals have brown, vermiculated upperparts, with buff, also vermiculated underparts.
For distribution and habitat, this bird breeds across most of Europe and western Asia, and winters in tropical Africa. Globally, it is listed as a Least Concern (LC) species. However, steep population declines have occurred in some parts of its range, so its conservation status can be less secure at a local level.
