Long Tailed Shrike | Rufous-Backed Shrike | ചാരക്കുട്ടൻ ഷ്രൈക്ക് | Charakkuttan Shrike | Wild Birds

Today we are familiarizing the bird, Long-tailed shrike or Rufous-backed shrike. In ‘Malayalam’ vernacular, the bird is called as “Charakkuttan shrike”. Scientific name is Lanius schach. Of the nine subspecies recorded, Lanius schach caniceps occurs in Kerala.
The bird occurs across Asia from Kazakhstan to New Guinea. It occurs in India, Afganistan, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines.
It is found mainly in scrub and open habitats. Many of the temperate zone populations are migratory, moving south in winter while those in the tropics tend to be sedentary although they may make short distance movements.
Subspecies caniceps of southern India is found in winter in the dry coastal zone of southern India, including Kerala. They are found in scrub, grassland and open land under cultivation.
This bird has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude when perched on a bush, from which it glides down at an angle to take lizards, large insects small birds. Small snakes and rodents. They maintain feeding territories and are usually found single or in pairs that are well spaced out. Several members have been observed indulging in play behaviour fighting over perches.
It also captures flying insects in the air. They sometimes impale prey on a thorny bush after feeding just on the head or brain. They have been reported to feed on the fruits of the neem in Kerala, even attempting to impale them on a twig.
The usual calls are harsh grating and scolding calls, likened to the squealing of a frog caught by a snake.
The long-tailed shrike is a typical shrike, favouring dry open habitats and found perched prominently atop a bush or on a wire. The dark mask through the eye is broad and covers the forehead, extending as broad band through lores and eye to lower nape side. Crown to mantle dark grey, back and rump pale rufous. Upper wing blackish, secondaries narrowly tipped white, . Underparts whitish, throat white. Iris dark brown. Rufous colour is restricted to the rump and vent; crown pale grey and the pure grey on the back.
The tail is narrow and graduated with pale grey. A small amount of white is present at the base of the primaries. Bill is short and black. Legs greyish black. The sexes are alike in plumage.
Breeding season is March to July. Nest is rather bulky open cup made from grasses, thorny twigs, moss, roots and leaves, often man-made materials incorporated, lined with finer grasses and the like, placed in thorny bush or in tree. Both male and female birds participate in making the nest. Clutch 2–6 eggs, mostly 4–6 with reddish-brown speckles on underlying greyish spots, markings often in band around broad end; replacement clutches frequent if earlier ones lost; incubation by female, period 13–16 days; nestling period 14–17 days; juveniles remain in natal territory for up to 2 months. Nests are regularly parasitized by cuckoos.
Conservation status: Least Concern.

Видео Long Tailed Shrike | Rufous-Backed Shrike | ചാരക്കുട്ടൻ ഷ്രൈക്ക് | Charakkuttan Shrike | Wild Birds канала Bird Diversity Kerala