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.]