What is "loggerhead shrike"

butcher bird \butcher bird\, butcher-bird \butcher-bird\, butcherbird \butcherbird\n.

1. (Zo["o]l.) any species of shrike of the genus Lanius, so called because they impale their prey on thorns.

2. (Zo["o]l.) large carnivorous Australian bird with the shrikelike habit of impaling prey on thorns.

   Note: The Lanius excubitor is the common butcher bird of Europe. In England, the bearded tit is sometimes called the lesser butcher bird. The American species are Lanius borealis, or northern butcher bird, and Lanius Ludovicianus or loggerhead shrike. The name butcher bird is derived from its habit of suspending its prey impaled upon thorns, after killing it.

n. common shrike of southeastern United States having black eye-bands [syn: Lanius lucovicianus]

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a passerine bird. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike (L. excubitor) occurs north of its range but also in the Palearctic. It is nicknamed the butcherbird after its carnivorous tendencies, as it consumes prey such as amphibians, insects, lizards, small mammals and small birds. Due to its small size and weak talons, this predatory bird relies on impaling its prey upon thorns or barbed wire for facilitated consumption. The numbers of Loggerhead Shrike have significantly decreased in recent years, especially in Midwest, New England and Mid-Atlantic areas.