What is that little songbird with the nasty looking beak? The Loggerhead Shrike is a passerine that aspires to be a raptor. It preys on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking the talons of a true raptor, the Shrike impales its kill on barbed wire or thorns. This gruesome habit earned it the nickname “Butcherbird”. Only that hooked beak gives away its predatory nature.
Photographed in Las Cruces, New Mexico in January 2018.
Birds in My Viewfinder 