Loggerhead Shrike Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesLoggerhead Shrike
Adult
Chunky, big-headed songbird with a thick, hooked bill. It has a gray head with a black mask that wraps across the top of the bill. Note prominent white flashes in the wings in flight.
© Dorian Anderson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, February 11, 2020Adult
Chunky songbird with a thick, hooked bill and a long tail. White wing patch often visible at rest. Sometimes shows faint barring on the whitish undersides.
© Andy Liu / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 13, 2020Adult
Often perches on exposed twigs or powerlines. Song is variable and often weak, sometimes sounds like a hiccup.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, March 31, 2007Not all videos have sound
Adult
In flight, white wing flashes are prominent. Outer tail feathers also flash white.
© Aaron Marshall / Macaulay LibraryArizona, April 06, 2013Juvenile
Chunky songbird with a thick, hooked bill. Young birds are more brownish than adults, with stronger brownish barring on the chest.
© Nicole Desnoyers / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 07, 2014Adult
Often hunts from exposed perches such as telephone wires and fencelines.
© Neil Rucker / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 01, 2021Adult
Eats small animals including insects, birds, and reptiles; impales prey on thorns and barbed wire to save for later.
© Christopher Clark / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 30, 2017Adult
Lives in open, brushy habitats including grasslands, desert scrub, prairies, savannas, and agricultural areas.
© Susan Stanton / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 24, 2018Similar SpeciesNorthern Shrike
Adult
Northern Shrikes have a narrower black mask that often does not cover the top of the bill or the eye. They often show fine gray-brown barring on the breast, which adult Loggerhead Shrikes lack.
© Howard Wu / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, December 04, 2016Similar SpeciesNorthern Mockingbird
Adult
Northern Mockingbirds have smaller, rounded heads with a thinner bill than Loggerhead Shrikes. They are more uniformly brown than Loggerhead Shrikes, without the bold black mask, clean gray back, or black wings.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, December 07, 2016Similar SpeciesTownsend's Solitaire
Adult
Townsend's Solitaire has a smaller, more rounded head and a much smaller bill than Loggerhead Shrike. It is more uniformly gray-brown, without the clean gray, white, and black markings of Loggerhead Shrike.
© Ryan O'Donnell / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 08, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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