Shrikes of the World (Helm Identification Guides)

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The "true" shrikes are a striking group of birds occurring throughout most of the Old World and North America. This is a comprehensive guide to 31 species of shrike from all over the world. It includes information on distribution, general behaviour, ecology and conservation, as well as on identification features. The author covers the latest taxonomic views on the family, and considers the Southern grey shrike to be a separate species from the great grey shrike. Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel (1815). Analyse de la nature ou, Tableau de l'univers et des corps organisés (in French). Palermo: Self-published. p.67. The subspecies soemmerringii is therefore clearly a potential vagrant and may already be occurring. However, variation within monedula and intergradation between monedula and soemmerringii make confident diagnosis of the latter in a vagrant context problematic.

Shrikes of the World - BirdGuides

Golawski, A.; Mroz, E.; Golawska, S. (2020). "The function of food storing in shrikes: the importance of larders for the condition of females and during inclement weather". The European Zoological Journal. 87 (1): 282–293. doi: 10.1080/24750263.2020.1769208. ISSN 2475-0263.

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The species accounts give information about the past and current distribution, along with threats and conservation status. Detailed and fully revised maps accompany the authoritative text, along with hundreds of high-quality photos showcasing racial and ageing differences as well as interesting aspects of shrike behaviour. An exceptional new series of plates by Tim Worfolk have been created, with more individual plumages shown than in the previous edition. Shrikes are territorial, and these territories are defended from other pairs. In migratory species, a breeding territory is defended in the breeding grounds and a smaller feeding territory is established during migration and in the wintering grounds. [7] Where several species of shrikes exist together, competition for territories can be intense. Claims of pinetorum should be accompanied by biometrics. Details of a ringed bird would of course provide additional evidence. ( updated Dec 2017 AMS). Harrop, A. H . J. 2004. The ‘North American’ Peregrine Falcon in Britain. A Review on behalf of the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee. Brit. Birds 97: 130-133. Norbert Lefranc is a nature conservation officer at the Ministry of the Environment in Metz and is in charge of all nature conservation in Lorraine. Tim Worfolk is a leading bird illustrator whose work has been published in British Birds, Birding World, and Birdwatch. He is currently working on several other regional guides and identification guides to other bird families.

Shrikes of the World : Norbert Lefranc : 9781472933775 Shrikes of the World : Norbert Lefranc : 9781472933775

Garner, M. 2002. Identification and vagrancy of American Merlins in Europe. Birding World 15: 468-480. The subspecies kleinschmidti is a declining breeder in Britain. Otherwise only borealis is on the British List with two accepted records (in Gloucestershire in March 1907 and in Yorkshire in February 1975). The 1907 record was reviewed by BOURC in 2009 and remains accepted (BOURC 38 th Report). There are a number of other British claims (e.g. Brown & Grice 2005) but they appear not to have been submitted to BBRC despite a request for records ( British Birds 77:123). The subspecies rhenanus is said to be largely sedentary and is probably an unlikely vagrant. The identification of hibernicus is problematic, however. The subspecies is characterised by a yellow suffusion to the face and nape but not all birds show this. The situation is further complicated by intergradation with britannicus in north-east Ireland and by variation within this latter subspecies. Notably, some Welsh birds show characters suggesting hibernicus (Cramp et al. 1993).

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Coal Tit comprises a very large number of subspecies across the whole width of the Palearctic. Only three are of relevance here, however. The subspecies britannicus (‘British Coal Tit’) is endemic to Britain and north-east Ireland, nominate ater (‘Continental Coal Tit’) breeds right across Europe and Asia and hibernicus (‘Irish Coal Tit’) breeds in Ireland except in the north-east where it intergrades with britannicus (Cramp et al. 1993). Haas, M., Slaterus, R. & CDNA. 2014. Rare birds in the Netherlands in 2013. Dutch Birding 36: 365-393. As currently constituted the family contains 34 species in four genera. It includes the genus Eurocephalus with the two white-crowned shrikes. [5] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2023 found that the white-crowned shrikes were more closely related to the crows in the family Corvidae than they are to the Laniidae and authors proposed that the genus Eurocephalus should be moved to its own family Eurocephalidae. The cladogram below is based on these results: [6]

Owls to Tits (incl. Falcons) - British Birds Rarities Committee Owls to Tits (incl. Falcons) - British Birds Rarities Committee

Ahmed, R. & Adriaens, P. 2010. Common, Asian Common and Pallid Swift: colour, nomenclature, moult and identification. Dutch Birding 32: 97-105.Most of the world's shrike species, including the Northern Shrike, are designated as “Least Concern.” There are exceptions, though. The plates in Shrikes of the World are a joy to behold and feel like a real celebration of this diverse and attractive family. From the fiscals of sub-Saharan Africa to the Northern Shrikes of high-latitude Siberia and North America, the quality of illustrations is superb throughout. The variations of spread wings and tails in the 'grey shrike' taxa will surely hold plenty of interest for European birders. Common Swift comprises two subspecies – nominate apus across the Western Palearctic and northern Russia and pekinensis (‘Eastern Common Swift’) from Iran to Mongolia and northern China (Cramp et al. 1985).

Shrikes of the World - Bloomsbury Publishing

Merlin comprises nine subspecies, of which four are of most relevance here. In the Palearctic aesalon breeds across northern Europe to western Siberia, subaesalon in Iceland and pallidus (‘Steppe Merlin’) in northern Kazakhstan and south-west Siberia. In North America, nominate columbarius (‘Taiga Merlin’) breeds across the north of the continent. The splitting of Palearctic and Nearctic Merlins has been proposed. French, P.R. 2009. From the Rarities Committee’s files: Identification of Dark-breasted Barn Owl in Britain. British Birds 102: 494-503. The identification of pinetorum is problematic. Not only is it not a distinctive subspecies but it also intergrades widely with nominate major. Biometrics are useful, however, pinetorum being long and slim-billed and short-winged. The taxonomy of the ‘Great Grey Shrikes’ is in a state of considerable flux and at least six potential species have been identified though not formally proposed (Olsson et al. 2010). Pending further work, IOC currently defines Great Grey Shrike as comprising twelve subspecies, of which ten inhabit North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia and have been treated by many authors as ‘Southern Grey Shrike’. A further five North Asian and Nearctic taxa are treated by IOC as a separate species – ‘Northern Shrike’. The texts for each species include an introduction, detailed subsections on identification (including field identification, voice and a fuller description), geographic variation, moult and biometrics, as well as population movements and vagrancy. Each species is accompanied by a series of photos depicting plumage variation and at least one range map.Lefranc, N. & Worfolk, T. 1997. Shrikes: A Guide to the Shrikes of the World. Pica Press. Mountfield, Sussex. They inhabit open habitats, especially steppe and savannah. A few species of shrikes are forest dwellers, seldom occurring in open habitats. Some species breed in northern latitudes during the summer, then migrate to warmer climes for the winter.