Isabelline shrike facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Isabelline shrike |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lanius
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| Species: |
isabellinus
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The Isabelline Shrike or Daurian Shrike (Lanius isabellinus) is a cool bird from the shrike family, called Laniidae. It used to be thought of as the same bird as the red-backed shrike and red-tailed shrike. This bird lives in a huge area. You can find it from the Caspian Sea all the way to northern and central China. It also lives southeast into the Qaidam Basin. When winter comes, these birds fly south to warmer places like Africa and Arabia.
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About the Isabelline Shrike
What's in a Name?
The name of the shrike's group, Lanius, comes from a Latin word meaning "butcher". Some shrikes are even called "butcher birds." This is because of how they find and store their food.
The common name "Isabelline" comes from the word isabellinus. This Neo-Latin word means "greyish-yellow." It describes the sandy color of the bird's feathers. The English name "shrike" comes from an Old English word, scríc. This word means "shriek," which refers to the bird's loud call.
How It Lives
This medium-sized bird is a migratory passerine. This means it flies long distances and is a perching bird. It loves to eat large insects. It also hunts small birds, tiny rodents, and lizards.
Like other shrikes, it hunts from high spots. It might sit on a fence post or a tall bush. After catching its prey, it often stores its food. It does this by hanging it on thorns or barbed wire. This is like having a special pantry for later! It likes to build its nests in open areas with farms. It especially likes places with thorny bushes.
What It Looks Like
The Isabelline Shrike has special feathers. They are a sandy color, which is called isabelline. This is the color that gives the bird its name. It also has a reddish tail.
Young Isabelline Shrikes can be told apart from young red-backed shrikes. They have fewer wavy lines on their bellies. This helps scientists tell the different young birds apart.
Images for kids
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Isabelline Shrike wintering in Great Rann of Kutch
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Lanius isabellinus at MHNT
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Lanius isabellinus phoenicuroides at MHNT
