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Note: Do not rely on this information. It is very old.
Shrike
Shrike, any bird of the Passerine genus Lanius, with fifty species, universally distributed except in South America. The bill is short and stout, and the upper mandible bears a strong tooth. They are chiefly insect-eating birds, but sometimes prey on mice, young frogs and lizards, and small birds, and, from their habit of impaling their prey on thorns, are often called Butcher-Birds. The Red-backed Shrike (L. collurio) is a well-known summer visitor, though somewhat local; it migrates when the brood is reared. The Lesser Grey Shrike (L. minor) is an occasional, and the Great Grey Shrike (L. excubitor) a regular winter visitor. [WOODCHAT.]