Long-tailed Shrike

Lanius schach Linnaeus, 1758

≈23 cmLength52 gWeight

This shrike perches on shrub tops or wires, with a black mask and a long, narrow tail.

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: China, India, Nepal

Looks like Bay-backed Shrike

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Broad black mask covering the forehead in most subspecies
Tail long, narrow and graduated, with pale rufous outer feathers
Rump and flanks rufous, with a small white patch on the scapulars
A little white at the base of the primaries

Male, female and young

Sexes have the same plumage colors.

Voice

Usual call is harsh and grating, likened to the shriek of a frog caught by a snake.

Similar species

Bay-backed Shrike

Bay-backed Shrike is smaller, with more contrasting markings and a more conspicuous white wing patch.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: China, India, Nepal

Long-tailed Shrike has been recorded at 1,870 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 27 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)3,344 records
Nanhui DongtanChina2,889 records
Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)2,597 records

More places

Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia2,554 records
Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia1,925 records
Baruipur MarshesIndia1,742 records
Long ValleyHong Kong (China)1,599 records
Aogu Wetland IBATaiwan (China)1,577 records
Hoskote / Hosakote KereIndia1,560 records
Bhandup Pumping StationIndia1,482 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China India Nepal Thailand Singapore Philippines Bangladesh Malaysia

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 long-tailed shrike or rufous-backed shrike (Lanius schach) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes. They are found widely distributed across Asia and there are variations in plumage across the range. The species ranges across much of Asia, both on the mainland and the eastern archipelagos.

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

Questions

How big is the Long-tailed Shrike?

The Long-tailed Shrike is about ≈23 cm long and weighs around 52 g.

Where does the Long-tailed Shrike live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia: widespread, also Lesser Sundas and eastern New Guinea. It is most often recorded in China, India and Nepal.