Brown Shrike
Lanius cristatus
Medium-sized shrike with a slender black mask and rufous-brown rump and tail. Plumage varies across range: “Japanese” has the warmest rufous tones, “Philippine” has a gray-washed head and back, and “Brown” averages in between. Averages stronger-billed in appearance than other medium-sized “brownish” shrikes. Male’s repetitive song often incorporates imitations of other birds. Most common call is a dry “ch-ch-ch.” Favors open forests and fields with scattered trees and bushes; often in parks and gardens.
Identification
This shrike is mainly brown on the upper parts and the tail is rounded. The black mask can be paler in winter and has a white brow over it. The underside is creamy with rufous flanks and belly. The wings are brown and lack any white "mirror" patches. Females tend to have fine scalloping on the underside and the mask is dark brown and not as well marked as in the male. The distinction is not easy to use in the field but has been tested with breeding birds in Japan where the female can be identified from the presence of a brood patch. The use of multiple measurements allows discrimination of the sex of about 90% of the birds. Subspecies lucionensis has a grey crown shading into the brown upperparts and the rump appears more rufous than the rest of the upper back. The tail is more brownish and not as reddish as in the red-backed shrike. Younger birds of lucionensis have a brown crown and lack the grey on the head. Subspecies superciliosus has a broad white supercilium and a richer reddish crown. The tail is redder and tipped in white.<p>A number of confusing forms are known from central Asia where the populations of cristatus, isabellinus and collurio overlap. The taxonomy has been in a state of flux and some forms such as phoenicuroides formerly considered as subspecies of L. cristatus have been moved to the species L. isabellinus. Subspecies lucionensis has been recorded interbreeding with superciliosus in Ishikawa, Japan while superciliosus has interbred with Lanius tigrinus in central Japan.
Taxonomy
In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the brown shrike in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Crested Red, or Russit Butcher-Bird". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a specimen that had been sent from Bengal to the silk-pattern designer Joseph Dandridge in London. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the brown shrike with the other shrikes in the genus Lanius. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Lanius cristatus and cited Edwards' work. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "crested" or "plumed".<p>Four subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Lanius cristatus
- Authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Laniidae
- Genus
- Lanius
Range and habitat
The nominate form breeds in northern Asia from Mongolia to Siberia and winters in South Asia, Myanmar and the Malay Peninsula. The race confusus described from the same region is not well marked but is said to have a wider white brow and paler upperparts and is sometimes included within the nominate population. Subspecies superciliosus (sometimes called the Japanese shrike) breeds on the islands of Sakhalin, Kuril and Japan and winters in Hainan, Sumatra, Java, and the Sundas. Subspecies lucionensis, sometimes known as the Philippine shrike (local names: tarat or pakis-kis), breeds in Korea and eastern China wintering mainly in Taiwan and the Philippines but also on the Andaman Islands and in peninsular India. Stuart Baker suggested that the species may breed in the Cachar Hills of Assam but the idea was questioned by Claud Buchanan Ticehurst.<p>This species is rare in Europe and vagrants have been recorded in the United States and Canada.
- Breeding range
- PAL : c, e Russia, Mongolia, e China to Japan
- Non-breeding range
- India to e China, Philippines, and e Indonesia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ashy Woodswallow
Artamus fuscus
A chunky, large-headed bird of open areas, usually found perched on wires or flying around in search of insects. Soft gunmetal gray with white underparts. Often found pressed together in pairs or tight groups when at rest. Sometimes flies in the same areas as swallows and swifts, but has a much thicker build, with triangular, somewhat starling-like wings. The only woodswallow throughout most of its range. Song is a somewhat myna-like series of sweet warbling and harsh chattering. Also gives nasal scolding “nyeh”, comparable to a jay or treepie.
Sumba Hornbill
Rhyticeros everetti
A small black hornbill with an ivory-colored bill that has a reddish smudge at the base and a knob on top. There is a pale blue pouch of skin below the bill. Males have a rich chestnut neck that becomes a darker burnt red around the face and top of the head. Females have black necks and heads. Juveniles resemble male, with a smaller bill. Confined to Sumba, where it is the only hornbill. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest and forest edge, where it frequents the treetops singly or in groups. Calls include a fast-paced, emphatic “kokokokokokok…”.
Long-tailed Sibia
Heterophasia picaoides
Truly long-tailed, even for a sibia, this bird appears rather dainty and small-headed in comparison with most of its relatives. Gray overall, darker on the wings and tail. Mostly lacks the contrasting patterns of other sibias, with only a small white patch near the wingtip. Forages in flocks in open hill forests, edges, and adjacent scrubby second growth. Despite striking appearance, often heard before it’s seen: listen for its loud chittering rattle.
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