Saturday, April 3, 2010

Shrike, are you mocking me?



When I get a nice, up close look at a Loggerhead Shrike such as this one I simply enjoy the view--and am grateful that I am not a lizard, rodent, bug...you get the picture. But when I see said Shrike from a distance, I find it rather easy to be mislead into believing that I am seeing a Northern Mockingbird. Color and pattern are similar--grey with a white wing patch; perch location is similar--tops of trees; and topography is similar--open fields. (Shrikes do appear in urban settings, but far less frequently than Northern Mockingbirds, so I am usually pretty careful before claiming to have seen one in the city).

With experience--and magnification--they really aren't all that similar. Their Gestalt is in fact rather different. While the Northern Mockingbird (and yes, there are southern Mockingbirds--but none are called Southern Mockingbird) is long and slender, the Loggerhead Shrike is long and rather rectangular. In addition, Shrikes in general have large, fat heads while Northern Mockingbirds have rather flatter, smaller ones (all this in comparison to their respective body sizes). The bill shapes, too, continue this distinction as the Shrikes have rather fat, hooked bills while the Northern Mockingbirds have slimmer, thrush-like ones. Lastly, their calls differ: the Loggerhead Shrike has a buzzy one while the Northern Mockingbird sounds more like a 'chack' 'chack'. Most helpful, however, is their song: while the Shrike has a repetitive, buzzy note, the Northern Mockingbird indulges in a wide variety of songs--from mimicking car alarms, to alarm clocks, to mourning doves...you can pretty much count on the fact that if you hear a 'weird' song, you're listening to a Northern Mockingbird. Now a real challenge would be an urban Shrike being imitated by a nearby Northern Mockingbird....I'll post that if it ever happens!

6 comments:

  1. Once I was grilling Rusty Cortelyou about the "old-timers" he'd met, and we came to talk about Allyn Moser. As a young birder, Rusty had dared approach Moser to tell him he'd seen a Northern Mockingbird, a rare species back then in Nebraska. Moser snorted and said "You saw a shrike," and walked away.
    Nowadays over most of the continent it's the other way around, sadly.

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  2. I echo what Rick said - I did a double take when you mentioned the possibility of mistaking a shrike for a mockingbird, because with me it's the other way around; when I'm in Arizona I'm always trying to turn mockingbirds (super common) into Loggerhead Shrikes (around, but not as common). Shrikes have got to be some of my favorite birds, they're just so dang cool!

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  3. I've only once seen a shrike - years ago, in eastern oregon - and it remains a highlight for me. I'd always wanted to spot one after seeing the picture in the Golden Books guide of a fairly ordinary-looking bird perched next to an impaled mouse. Amazing adaptations for a songbird! Thanks for the super-clear post.

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  4. Excellent post Alison and thanks for sharing it! There are still a few places in northern California where Loggerheads can be seen but they are unfortunately declining almost everywhere in North America. Nice shot of the Loggerhead Shrike too!

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  5. No Shrikes in Peru, and no Mockingbirds in my native Sweden, so I never thought they could be a confusion problem. I will take it into account next time I am birding in North America.

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  6. Thanks for all the comments--glad we're all thinking about both these beautiful species.

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