Bay-backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus)
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Bay-backed Shrike

Lanius vittatus Valenciennes, 1826

≈17 cmLength21 gWeight

This small shrike has a black mask, a brown back and a pale rump.

Busiest months: December–January and October · Most records: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. A single black mask across the eyes
  2. Gray crown and nape
  3. Brown back and grayish-white rump
  4. Rather long tail, black with white edges

Male, female and young

Sexes differ little; juveniles are paler than adults.

Where and when it's recorded

Bay-backed Shrike has been recorded at 179 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia1,683 records
  2. Hessaraghatta KereIndia1,482 records
  3. Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation ReserveIndia887 records
More places
  1. Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia883 records
  2. Hoskote / Hosakote KereIndia793 records
  3. Tal Chhapar SanctuaryIndia701 records
  4. Sultanpur National ParkIndia691 records
  5. Ankasamudra Bird SanctuaryIndia571 records
  6. GKVK CampusIndia492 records
  7. Manjeera Wildlife SanctuaryIndia444 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaNepalSri LankaUnited Arab EmiratesPakistanBangladeshThailandBhutan

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The bay-backed shrike (Lanius vittatus) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes, resident in South Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Bay-backed Shrike?

The Bay-backed Shrike is about ≈17 cm long and weighs around 21 g.

Where does the Bay-backed Shrike live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: south-central. It is most often recorded in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

When is the best time to see the Bay-backed Shrike?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, October and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Bay-backed Shrike endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Bay-backed Shrike as Least Concern.

What does the Bay-backed Shrike eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Bay-backed Shrike in?

It belongs to the family Shrikes (Laniidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈17 cm
Weight
21 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
85 mm
Tail
87 mm
Bill
17 mm
Tarsus
23 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: south-central

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Shrikes Laniidae
Genus
Lanius

Other birds in the genus Lanius

Long-tailed FiscalLong-tailed FiscalLanius cabanisiGrey-backed FiscalGrey-backed FiscalLanius excubitoroidesTaita FiscalTaita FiscalLanius dorsalisGreat Grey ShrikeGreat Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorSomali FiscalSomali FiscalLanius somalicusLoggerhead ShrikeLoggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusGiant Grey ShrikeGiant Grey ShrikeLanius giganteusChinese Grey ShrikeChinese Grey ShrikeLanius sphenocercusIberian Grey ShrikeIberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisNorthern ShrikeNorthern ShrikeLanius borealisMasked ShrikeMasked ShrikeLanius nubicusSao Tome FiscalSao Tome FiscalLanius newtoni
Bay-backed Shrike

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by SAVE Thitiphon. ↗

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