March 1, 2017: Loggerhead Shrike

The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor's habits.  It lives on grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America.  It is a predator, masked, and hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches.  Its prey includes insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals.  Because it lacks a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.