Today's featured feathered friend is the Loggerhead Shrike. Although they lack the size, strong feet and talons of a raptor, this striking songbird has a raptor-like attitude. They capture and consume lizards, mice and smaller birds as a part of their diet. They impale their prey on thorns or barbed-wire fences, ripping them apart with their thick, hooked bill.
Loggerhead Shrikes are 9 inches in length with a 13 inch wingspan, weighing only 1.5 ounces. They have gray heads and backs, white underparts, with black wings and tails. They have a white patch on each wing and their outer tail feathers are white. A black face mask gives them a distinctive "bandit" look. Adult females are slightly darker than males. Juveniles are similar to adults but are a paler gray. Their coloring is similar to that of the Northern Mockingbird and the Northern Shrike.
Of the 31 Shrike species worldwide, the Loggerhead is the only one endemic to North America, meaning, they can't be found anywhere else on earth. Enjoy these photos of the feisty Loggerhead Shrike.....tweet.....tweet!!
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| (Taken 2/10/13, Ft. Desoto Park, St. Petersburg FL) |
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| (Taken 5/1/13, The Celery Fields, Sarasota FL) |
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| (Taken 11/8/12, Bluefield Ranch Natural Area, St. Lucie County FL) |
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| (Taken 12/13/12, Laurel FL) |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_Shrike
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