Shrikes of the World (Helm Identification Guides)

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Willow Tit comprises fourteen subspecies but only three are of relevance here – kleinschmidti (‘British Willow Tit’) from Britain, borealis (‘Northern Willow Tit’) from Scandinavia, Denmark, the Baltic States, European Russia and Ukraine and rhenanus (‘Central European Willow Tit’) breeding on the near-continent east to westernmost Germany and north-west Switzerland.

Shrikes Unique? Spiked Snacks, Shrieking Calls + More What Makes Shrikes Unique? Spiked Snacks, Shrieking Calls + More

The helmetshrikes and bushshrikes were formerly included in Laniidae, but they are now known to be not particularly closely related to true shrikes. The subspecies aesalon is a regular breeder and winter visitor in Britain, subaesalon occurring as a migrant and in winter. An old pre-BBRC specimen record of nominate columbarius has been reviewed and rejected but the subspecies has now been readmitted to the British List on the basis of a bird in Caithness in February 2018 . There is also a record of this subspecies from Ireland in September 2000 ( http://www.irbc.ie/reports/irbr/2007_IRBR.pdf). The subspecies pallidus has also been claimed in Britain.The subspecies anglicus is common in Britain. Otherwise only nominate major is on the British List, this migratory and irruptive subspecies being a scarce migrant here. By contrast, pinetorum is largely sedentary although its occurrence in Britain has been suspected (Kehoe 2006).

Shrikes (Laniidae) of the World - NHBS The True Shrikes (Laniidae) of the World - NHBS

Nominate peregrinus breeds in Britain. No other subspecies is currently on the British List though an old pre-BBRC specimen record of anatum has been reviewed and rejected (Harrop 2004). However, calidus doubtless occurs, possibly with some regularity, and tundrius has also been suspected. The latter is clearly a potential vagrant, having reached Iceland on at least two occasions. The RRP is the suggested or Recommended Retail Price of a product, set by the publisher or manufacturer. a b Clancey, P.A. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. p.180. ISBN 1-85391-186-0.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. Crouzier, P, Duquet, M, Noël, F & CHN 1999. Le Choucas des tours Corvus monedula de la subspecies orientale soemmerringii en France: le point après 3 ans d’enquête. Ornithos 6: 178-182. And although the Northern Shrike is doing well for now, its Arctic range is vulnerable to climate change, and this species could lose more than three-quarters of its habitat if global temperatures rise by 1.5°C.

Shrikes of the World - Bloomsbury Publishing

Sustaita, Diego; Rubega, Margaret A.; Farabaugh, Susan M. (2018). "Come on baby, let's do the twist: the kinematics of killing in loggerhead shrikes". Biology Letters. 14 (9). doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0321. PMC 6170751. PMID 30185607.

About the contributors

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. 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). Norbert Lefranc is a French ornithologist specialising in the ecology of shrikes. He has travelled all over the world in search of shrikes and other birds, publishing many papers and four books, including Les Pies-grièches d'Europe, d'Afrique du Nord et du Moyen-Orient (1993) and the first edition of the present book (1997). He worked as a biodiversity officer for the Ministry of Ecology in the 'Grand Est'. Now retired, he spends his time contributing to research and conservation actions led by NGOs, particularly by the Société d'Etudes Ornithologiques de France (SEOF) and the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO/Birdlife France).