Shrikes - Butcher Birds Killing With a Smile

Pics  1 - 7 = Brown Shrikes : South Andaman | Pics : 8 -11 = Grey Backed Shrikes : Masai Mara National Reserve | Pic 12 = Long Tailed Shrike : Sattal

Every kind of shrike I meet always has this mischievous smile plastered on it's face under that trademark zoro mask as if they're the custodian of some secret that we want to know. Well, thats the impression I get from these pretty birds anyway.

They’re beautiful and fascinating birds who like to eat meat. They’re songbirds but unlike most songbirds, they have a tomial tooth on their beaks that helps them catch and kill prey. Maybe that’s the secret they’re holding while they’re smiling and keeping up the song singing front while they suss out the real business.

They are also terribly difficult to photograph by the way. That black eye band they sport (mask of zoro) is a contrast nightmare and makes it so hard to capture their eyes. Would make it pretty tough for prey to see where he’s looking too, come to think of it.

So our songbird can kill but lacks the talons that birds of prey have to hold down prey, to consume. Well, the Shrike didn’t let that technicality turn him vegan. They impale what they catch on thorns and barbed wire and eat at will. This method also lets them hang poisonous prey out to dry till they can be eaten without risk. They often kill and hang up more than they can consume, cause they can or to show off prowess to attract mates. Talk about turning a handicap to an advantage.

They are the Butcher Birds. Pretty smart and not just pretty, for a bird brain to have the latin word for butcher now attached to its kind permanently I think.