| Brown shrike | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Thailand | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Laniidae |
| Genus: | Lanius |
| Species: | L. cristatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lanius cristatus | |
| |
| Breeding ranges | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Otomela cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The brown shrike (Lanius cristatus) is a bird in the shrike family that is found mainly in Asia. It is closely related to the red-backed shrike (L. collurio) and isabelline shrike (L. isabellinus). The genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The specific cristatus is Latin for "crested", used in a broader sense than in English.[2] The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc, "shriek", referring to the shrill call.[3]
Like most other shrikes, it has a distinctive black "bandit-mask" through the eye and is found mainly in open scrub habitats, where it perches on the tops of thorny bushes in search of prey. Several populations of this widespread species form distinctive subspecies which breed in temperate Asia and migrate to their winter quarters in tropical Asia. They are sometimes found as vagrants in Europe and North America.
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Lanius cristatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22705011A93995637. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22705011A93995637.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 142, 219. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ "Shrike". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)