A northern shrike made a dramatic appearance Dec. 7. Don Miller was helping a group of Harlem High School students learn elements of bird Northern Shrikewatching. As they watched a flock of birds beneath the feeder, the shrike came in like a bullet and pinned a goldfinch to the ground. The shrike stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes and began eating its prey before flying off.The bird was spotted again Dec. 8.

As the map from Cornell University shows, we are at the southern range of the northern shrike’s range. There have been other reports of a northern shrike at Rock Cut State Park.northern-shrike-map_s.gif

The northern shrike is a predatory song bird. It is often referred to as the “butcher bird.” It lacks talons and often impales its prey on thorns or even barbed wire to hold it so it can consume its prey.

Here are some facts about the northern shrike from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

  • The Northern Shrike, like other shrikes, kills more prey, if it can, than it can immediately eat or feed to nestlings. Such behavior was characterized by early observers as “wanton killing,” but the Northern Shrike stores excess prey to eat later. Storing food is an adaptation for surviving periods of food scarcity.
  • The Latin species name of the Northern Shrike, Lanius excubitor, means “Butcher watchman.”
  • The nest of the Northern Shrike is an open cup, but it is so deep that while incubating, the female is completely out of view except for the tip of her tail.
  • Both male and female Northern Shrikes sing throughout year. The male sings especially in late winter and early spring.