The Loggerhead Shrike is an interesting little bird of remarkable adaptation. About the size of a robin, it is a songbird that feeds on insects, mice, small birds and especially lizards. Unlike most predatory birds, it lacks talons to hold its prey down while eating. Instead, it impales its hapless victims on mesquite thorns or barbed wire fences to hold them in place. It can then tear off chunks of meat, piece by piece, using its sharp and powerful beak. Because of the habit of impaling its prey for dismemberment, it is sometimes referred to as a "butcher bird."
Click Here to View Uncropped Version On Black Background
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Loggerhead Shrike
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Nice picture! I prefer to think of the bird flying along and finding a dead (of natural causes), dismembered (by unknown means) lizard in a field. Anyone else wanna join in my fantasy while enjoying David's photography? ~Mindy
I prefer to imagine David hunting these little bitty birds with his bow and arrow than an easy-to-hit (hehehe), big, fat deer!
The Texas Woman
Post a Comment