Photo: Roger Culos / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitor
Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) is a member of the Laniidae family found in Africa and Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 63.4 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Laniidae Shrikes
- Genus Lanius
- Species excubitor
Quick facts
- Weight
- 63.4 g
- Diet
- Vertebrate hunters
- Family
- Laniidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Great Grey Shrike preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Great Grey Shrike is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) is a species of bird in the Laniidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Africa and Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL, AF widespread in Europe, Asia and n Africa.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 63.4 g, with a wing length of about 10.9 cm and a tail of around 10.6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 23.5 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Great Grey Shrike?
The Great Grey Shrike is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 63.4 g.
Where does the Great Grey Shrike live?
The Great Grey Shrike is found across Africa and Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL, AF widespread in Europe, Asia and n Africa, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Great Grey Shrike belong to?
The Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) belongs to the Laniidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Great Grey Shrike eat?
The Great Grey Shrike preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Does the Great Grey Shrike migrate?
The Great Grey Shrike is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Great Grey Shrike endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Great Grey Shrike make?
1 real field recording of the Great Grey Shrike — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Great Grey Shrike's range?
The Great Grey Shrike has a mapped global range of about 23.5 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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