The Loggerhead Shrike's Diet

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a songbird about the same size as the American robin with feeding habits that typically do not fit the norm for the majority of its brethren. The loggerhead shrike, so named because it has a head that is disproportionate in its large size compared to the rest of its body, actually hunts as if it were a hawk. The loggerhead shrike's diet is diverse and depends upon the availability of certain prey.

  1. Types

    • The loggerhead shrike eats a large amount of insects in the warmer months; bigger bugs like dragonflies, crickets and grasshoppers are an important parts of its diet. In the colder months, when insects are not available throughout much of its range in southern sections of Canada and many northern states in the Unites States, the loggerhead shrike will hunt, kill and consume vertebrates such as mice, voles and squirrels. The bird's diet also includes small mammals when possible, as well as creatures such as snakes, frogs, lizards, other birds and even fish.

    Function

    • The loggerhead shrike lacks the sharp talons that birds of prey such as owls and hawks possess. This makes it impossible for it to kill larger animals with its feet as those birds do. The shrike, though, has what biologists call a tomial, a type of cutting tooth, positioned on its upper beak. The shrike uses this to paralyze its victim, severing the spinal cord with a stunning blow of its beak and then finishing off the animal as it lies helpless.

    Adaptation

    • A loggerhead shrike can use its feet to carry large prey, but the lack of talons prevents it from grasping and ripping its kill apart so it may eat it. The bird solves this problem by impaling its meal and on stout thorns or even on barbed wire fences. The bird can then tear away pieces to eat without having to rely on its feet. The bird will later return to the kill where it hangs and feed from it. A sure sign of loggerhead shrikes in an area is the presence of hanging bodies of rodents, birds and insects on fences and thorn bushes. This behavior earns the loggerhead shrike the nickname of butcherbird.

    Finding Food

    • While on the lookout for a meal, the loggerhead shrike can perch and observe or become more proactive, taking to flight in search of food. The bird will often flap its wings and take off before going into a silent glide over an area. The loggerhead shrike will fly low over the ground watching for any motion and either find prey or glide effortlessly to another perch and repeat the process, says the Hinterland Who's Who website.

    Considerations

    • The United States Geological Survey website reports that studies indicate loggerhead shrikes in northern states with cold winters have a diet composed of about 83 percent insects in the summer months, with mice making up the majority of the winter menu. The loggerhead shrike will actively seek open country with scattered trees and shrubs from which it can observe the ground below for a potential meal. The bird will utilize fence posts and power lines in the absence of trees as a viewing perch. The use of pesticides on the insects this bird devours adversely affects shrike populations.