Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus

The Loggerhead Shrike, like all shrikes world-wide, is commonly called the Butcher Bird. And like all true shrikes, this bird is a small avian predator. They hunt from perches and impale their prey on sharp objects such as thorns and barbed-wire fences.
The term Loggerhead refers to the large size of the bird’s head relative to its body. Not all birds of prey kill with their feet. The powerful neck and bill of this bird give it the ability to take down prey as large as themselves, such as mice, bats and reptiles. Though most of their diet consists of insects. The well-known practice of impaling their victims on spikes may merely be a method that allows them to tear off bite-sized pieces they can swallow.
Loggerhead Shrikes range over most of the USA, though their numbers are declining. This is especially true in southern Canada and in the midwestern and eastern portions of their range in the USA. Across most of their range they remain year round, but some birds will migrate north in the summer. Some travel as far as the Prairie Provinces of Canada, and migrate slightly south to spend winters.
Science recognises eleven subspecies of Loggerhead Shrike, and they are mainly distinguished by region:
- Eastern Group
- L. l. migrans breeds from southeastern Manitoba east to Maritime Provinces (formerly) and south to eastern Texas, central Louisiana, and North Carolina and Virginia. They spend winters in southern half of their breeding range.
- L. l. ludovicianus lives from southern Louisiana to North Carolina and south to central Florida.
- L. l. miamensis lives in southern Florida.
- L. l. excubitorides breeds from southeastern Alberta and Saskatchewan, south through the Great Plains to central Texas and west from northeastern Idaho south to southeastern California, western Texas, and northern Durango (Mexico). They spend winters in the southwestern USA north to Utah and Colorado, east to southern Louisiana, and south to Sinaloa and Veracruz, and southern Mexico.
- Western Group
- L. l. gambeli breeds from central Washington and Idaho south to southern California, some remaining year-round from northern-central California and south. They spend winters over much of breeding range south to southern Baja California and Michoacán (Mexico).
- L. l. mexicanus lives in western Mexico from Nayarit and central Coahuila south to Oaxaca and the southern half of Baja California (Mexico).
- L. l. anthonyi lives on the Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catalina Island off the southern California coast.
- L. l. mearnsi lives on San Clemente Island off the southern California coast.
- L. l. grinnelli lives from San Diego, south to central Baja California (Mexico).
- L. l. sonoriensis lives in the southwestern USA to northwestern Mexico.
- L. l. nelsoni lives in southern Baja California (Mexico).
Loggerhead Shrikes are interesting subjects. I have enjoyed meeting them often in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Perhaps the most fun I’ve had with them was during an early morning visit to Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. I found them perched high on the roadside brush, and warming themselves in the early rays of sunlight. Sadly, I have recently learned from friends living in the area that the shrike population on Antelope Island has declined in recent years. The reasons for this decline are unknown.
In the spring of 2022, I launched on a 16,000 mile expedition. I started up the west coast of the USA, across the northern tier states into Montana. Then I turned north and drove through Canada to the Yukon. Later, I drove south through the American Heartland to south Texas, before returning home to San Diego. The journey lasted approximately seven and a half months. During the trip, I met nesting shrikes in Saskatchewan, and later, I met visiting winter birds on South Padre Island.
27 Photos

Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:10 10:55 |
Location:
Antelope Island |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X0443-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:11 7:44 |
Location:
Antelope Island |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X1251-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:11 7:46 |
Location:
Antelope Island |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X1266-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Along the Great Southern Overland Stage Route, North-east of Canebrake Canyon. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:26 8:35 |
Location:
Anza-Borrego State Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X2723-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:10 8:02 |
Location:
Blair Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD5178.LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: San Felipe Creek, North of Highway 78. Eastern San Diego County, Anza-Borrego Park, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:10 11:28 |
Location:
Scissors Crossing |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD5294.LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Anza-Borrego State Park. North-east San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2003:04:26 9:06 |
Location:
Plum Canyon |
Camera Information: |
File Name: A3D26A35.LoggerheadShrike |
© 2003 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Cibola NWR, South of Blyth, CA. In Arizona near the Colorado River. |
Date Taken: 2004:12:21 11:38 |
Location:
Goose Loop |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/12.0, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD_2009LoggerheadShrike |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Seen near Cottonwood Springs in Joshua Tree National Park. Riverside County California. |
Date Taken: 2017:06:17 18:14 |
Location:
Cottonwood Spring |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: LoggerHeadShrike_D5X5590 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Seen near Cottonwood Springs in Joshua Tree National Park. Riverside County California. |
Date Taken: 2017:06:17 18:06 |
Location:
Cottonwood Spring |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: LoggerHeadShrike_D5X5578 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Seen near Cottonwood Springs in Joshua Tree National Park. Riverside County California. |
Date Taken: 2017:06:17 18:06 |
Location:
Cottonwood Spring |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: LoggerHeadShrike_D5X5561 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Planet Ranch bosque on the eastern side of Bill Williams NWR in Arizona. North of Parker, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2014:11:25 14:31 |
Location:
Planet Ranch |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X2358-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Along the Great Southern Overland Stage Route, North-east of Canebrake Canyon. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:26 8:37 |
Location:
Vallecito Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/6400 |
File Name: D3X2747-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Along the Great Southern Overland Stage Route, North-east of Canebrake Canyon. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:03:26 8:36 |
Location:
Anza-Borrego State Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X2731-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: The cienega at Arivaca. Part of the Buenos Aries NWR in Arivaca, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2016:03:25 18:20 |
Location:
Arivaca Cienega |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1250 |
File Name: D727295-LoggerHeadShrike |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Shrikes are fierce predators, and this one was looking for a meal. Precisely halfway between Albuquerque and Bosque del Apache is the state reserve at Ladd S. Gordon’s Bernardo Unit, where cranes and geese are now visiting more than at Bosque. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:19 12:21 |
Location:
Bernardo |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_D5X9978-Bernardo_Unit |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: This shrike flew in from behind me, barely over my shoulder. The morning after I arrived, the birds found a temporary watering hole at Pine Springs Camp. The event at Guadalupe National Park was a memorable one for me. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:28 9:16 |
Location:
Pine Springs |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_D5X4218-GuadalupeMountain-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: This shrike flew in from behind me, barely over my shoulder. The morning after I arrived, the birds found a temporary watering hole at Pine Springs Camp. The event at Guadalupe National Park was a memorable one for me. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:28 9:16 |
Location:
Pine Springs |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_D5X4231-GuadalupeMountain-TX |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Vendel Road is also known as Unit #1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. It occupies the agricultural and marsh lands at the southern tip of the Salton Sea near Westmorland in Imperial County. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:28 12:52 |
Location:
Vendel Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_D5X6025-VendelRoad-SaltonSea |
© 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:11 16:00 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8500676-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:11 16:00 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8500684-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:11 16:09 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8500717-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:12 10:51 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8500962-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:12 11:04 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8501033-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I confirmed this observation when I found juveniles at a crèche tree at the roadside. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:14 9:18 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike-Chick_8501202-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes visiting South Padre Island, while welcomed by birders, may not be so popular with the other bird species here, because they sometimes prey on them. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:12 10:45 |
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8502285-SPI.ConventionCentre |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus) |
Description: Loggerhead Shrikes nested on the range where tall shrubs and small trees grew. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:11 15:57 |
Location:
Grasslands National Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: LoggerheadShrike_8500613-Grasslands.NP-SK |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

Click map markers to reveal further information