DVOC Main Page > Birding the Delaware Valley Region > Birds of the Delaware Valley > Species Description

Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus

From DVOC's Delaware Valley Birds: "Migrant and winter visitor, particularly in Multiflora Rose. In serious decline."

Habitat:
Semi-open countryside with shrubs, hedgerows, small trees, wire fences that act as lookout posts.
Status and Distribution:
A southern breeder that is a rare and irregular migrant in the Delaware Valley – has been recorded in most months.
Range:
Resident throughout the southern United States and into south central Canada. There is a small breeding population in Adams County, Pennsylvania.


© A & J Binns

History/State Records:
Since the 1980’s there appears to be a decline in sightings. One was reported on the Princeton CBC at the Mercer County Equestrian Center in Mercer County on Dec 15, 2002
Additional Information:
A solitary species that is also known as the “butcher bird” for its habit of storing uneaten prey (small birds rodents, large insects and grasshoppers), impaled on thorns or barbed wire.