The red-tailed shrike or Turkestan shrike (''Lanius phoenicuroides'') is a member of the

shrike Shrikes () are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 34 species in four genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, ''Lanius'', is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also know ...

family ( Laniidae). It was formerly considered conspecific with the

isabelline shrike The isabelline shrike or Daurian shrike (''Lanius isabellinus'') is a member of the shrike family ( Laniidae). It was previously considered conspecific with the red-backed shrike and red-tailed shrike. It is found in an extensive area between ...

and the red-backed shrike.

Description

The plumage is a sandy colour. It has a red tail..Worfolk, Tim (2000) "Identification of red-backed, isabelline and brown shrikes" ''

Dutch Birding ''Dutch Birding'', originally subtitled ''Journal of the Dutch Birding Association'', and currently subtitled ''International journal on Palaearctic birds'', is an ornithological magazine published by the Amsterdam-based Dutch Birding Association ...

'' 22 (6): 323–362

Range

The red-tailed shrike breeds in south

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

Habits

This migratory medium-sized

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

eats large insects, small birds, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a larder. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with thorn bushes.

Gallery

image:Lanius phoenicuroides, Vila de Sena, Birding Weto, c.jpg, At the

Zambezi river The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

, Mozambique image:Lanius phoenicuroides MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.213.Turkménistan.jpg, Eggs MHNT Cuculus canorus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.150.34.jpg, ''Cuculus canorus'' in a clutch of ''Lanius phoenicuroides'' - MHNT

References

External links

Oiseaux
Pictures {{Taxonbar, from=Q15055407 red-tailed shrike Birds of Central Asia Birds of Africa Birds of Western Asia red-tailed shrike