Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Taken at Cholsey, Oxon., on January 26th 2013. (© David Hastings) (1/500th sec at f14) DescriptionL: 21 - 26 cm The Great Grey Shrike is mainly light grey and white, with a black eye mask and hooked black beak. The wings are black with a fairly small white patch. The sexes are similar. It is found quite widely in Europe, but is a scarce winter visitor to the British Isles. They visit open areas, including heathland, farmland, scrub, clear-felled areas in forests, and coastal dunes. They need perches from which to hunt, so they often sit on fenceposts and high up in trees. Only a few dozen birds spend the winter in the UK. Sightings
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