Gary Helm
The Masked Predator
The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptors habits.
A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptors talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating.
Eleven subspecies of the Loggerhead Shrike are known throughout North America, but only L. l. ludovicianus breeds in Florida.
Another one from my Archives!
I found this one perched on a Road (trail sign) at Dinner Island Ranch WMA, in Hendry County, Florida.
The Masked Predator
The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptors habits.
A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptors talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating.
Eleven subspecies of the Loggerhead Shrike are known throughout North America, but only L. l. ludovicianus breeds in Florida.
Another one from my Archives!
I found this one perched on a Road (trail sign) at Dinner Island Ranch WMA, in Hendry County, Florida.