Red-Backed Shrike Diet and Size: Feeding Habits, Predators, and Measurements
The Red-Backed Shrike has the nickname of “the butcher bird” due to their habit of impaling their prey on thorns or barbed wire. They eat the choicest parts and leave the rest hanging as territorial markers.
These small passerines, similar in size to House Sparrows, are summer visitors and passage migrants to the UK. This never used to be the case, at one point there was a thriving breeding community of Red-Backed Shrikes who returned to the UK to breed year after year. Sadly, by the 1990s numbers had dwindled to the point of extinction.
There are now only a few pairs that have been recorded breeding in isolated undisclosed areas. In this article we’ll take a close look at the diet, breeding habits, size and weight of these fascinating birds and much more besides.
Table of Contents
The Dietary Habits Of The Red-Backed Shrike
Known for their unique habit of impaling their prey on thorns and barbed wire, the Red-Backed Shrike has an eclectic diet.
What Does A Red-Backed Shrike Eat?
These carnivorous birds eat a wide variety of prey which includes; insects, small birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. They are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever small animals happen to be available in their immediate environment.
They are known to eat beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, wasps, bees, butterflies, moths, young nestling birds, voles, mice, shrews, lizards, frogs, earthworms and spiders.
They employ similar hunting techniques to raptors and other birds of prey. They will perch on high elevated spots and scan the area for prey. Once they spot a likely food source, they will pounce.
The unfortunate creature is then impaled on a thorn, sharp twig or barbed wire fence and left there until they need food. Once they have eaten the choicest parts of the animal, the carcass is left hanging as a warning to others that this territory is taken.
What To Feed A Baby Red-Backed Shrike?
The food that is stored in their makeshift larders (thorns, twigs or barbed wire) make an ideal food safe. This ensures that they have sufficient food to feed their young chicks.
The hatchlings are fed a protein rich diet consisting mainly of soft bodied insects like caterpillars and other small invertebrates which are easy for the chicks to digest. As the chicks grow and develop, their parents will feed them larger prey like small mammals and birds.
They will eventually feed their young a similar diet to their own before allowing the younglings to gain their independence and fend for themselves.
Breeding Habits Of Red-Backed Shrikes
Male Red-Backed Shrikes attract the female by performing a series of whistles, trills and often will mimic the calls of other bird species. He often performs a fluttering flight display to attract her attention.
He will also catch prey and present it to the female to demonstrate his ability to provide for her and her brood. He will also establish and defend his territory which is marked by impaling prey on thorns and barbed wire.
The size of the territory can influence the female’s choice in a mate.
Do Red-Backed Shrikes Mate For Life?
Whilst Red-Backed Shrikes do not mate for life, they do practise what is known as “seasonal monogamy”. This is where they will pair up and share the parental responsibilities including nest building, incubation and chick rearing.
Then, at the end of that breeding season, the pair will separate and find new breeding partners the following year.
The Size & Weight Of Red-Backed Shrikes
Red-Backed Shrikes are similar in size to House Sparrows except they are slimmer and slightly larger.
How Much Does A Red-Backed Shrike Weigh?
The average weight of a Red-Backed Shrike is around 25 to 35 grams with males and females weighing roughly the same. It is possible to distinguish between males and females by their colouration and markings.
Males have bluish-grey heads, a black mask, a bright chestnut-brown back, pale pink underparts with a white-pale grey undertail and a thick black bill.
Females are similar to males but are less vibrantly coloured with brown upperparts and wings, yellowish underwings and a white belly. Females also lack the black mask and have a dull brown mark behind their eye.
How Big Is A Red-Backed Shrike?
The average length of the Red-Backed Shrike is around 17 cm with a wingspan of around 24 to 27 cm. Which is roughly the same size as a House Sparrow except House Sparrows are slightly smaller and not as slim.
Are Red-Backed Shrikes Under Threat?
While the Red-Backed Shrike is not currently under immediate global threat, local populations in some areas are in decline. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the Red-Backed Shrike is a species of least concern.
Having said that, in Europe the number of Red-Backed Shrikes has seen a sharp decline which is attributed to the destruction and fragmentation of breeding habitats, the overuse of pesticides in agriculture and climate change.
According to the Species of European Conservation Concern (SECC) the Red-Backed Shrike is also classified as a species of least concern. However, in the UK on the birds of Conservation Concern they are Red Listed which means that these birds have all but stopped breeding in the UK altogether.
According to recent survey records, the Red-Backed Shrike population in the UK up until 2017 consisted of just 3 breeding pairs. That number had risen to 4 breeding pairs in 2019.
Sadly Red-Backed Shrike were a common breeding species in the UK during the 19th and 20th centuries but became effectively extinct as a UK breeding bird by 1990.
What Eats A Red-Backed Shrike?
Like many small birds, the Red-Backed Shrike faces the threat of predation from many birds of prey including Sparrowhawks, Kestrels and owls like the Tawny Owl. These will all take adult birds as well as steal eggs and chicks from the nest.
Other bird species like magpies and Crows are also known to take eggs and young chicks from nests. Whilst in some areas, snakes pose a threat to eggs and chicks especially if the nest happens to have been built close to the ground.
Where Can I See Red-Backed Shrikes In The UK?
Sadly Red-Backed Shrikes are a rare sight in the UK now during the breeding season as many of their traditional habitats have been destroyed. Having said that, it is still possible to spot Red-Backed Shrike as they pass through on their way to and from their mainland European breeding grounds and their African wintering grounds.
The best times to spot these interesting little birds are between May and June and August to September. You’re most likely to spot them along the south and east coastal areas of the UK. With the best chances of sightings being at coastal headlands, nature reserves and on islands.
The most reported sightings of Red-Backed Shrike tend to be at the following locations;
- The Scilly Isles
- The Isle of Wight
- The Norfolk Coast
- Spurn Point (East Yorkshire)
- The Shetland & Orkney Islands
It is possible that the odd individual Red-Backed Shrike might turn up at an inland site but these occurrences are extremely rare.
SEE ALSO: Nightingale Diet and Size: Feeding Habits, Predators, and Measurements
Frequently Asked Questions
Red-Backed Shrikes are called butcher birds due to their habit of impaling their prey on thorns, sharp twigs or barbed wire fences. They then eat the choicest parts and leave the rest hanging as a territorial marker.
The Red-Backed Shrike is a very rare bird nowadays that is only seen as it passes through to and from their European nesting sites and their African winter grounds.
The average length of the Red-Backed Shrike is around 17 cm with a wingspan of around 24 to 27 cm. Which is roughly the same size as a House Sparrow except House Sparrows are slightly smaller and not as slim.
