Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
Species
Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis). Taken at La Oliva, Fuerteventura, on March 13th 2018.
Taken at La Oliva, Fuerteventura, on March 13th 2018.
(1/250th sec at f13. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)

Description

L: 21 - 26 cm

The Southern 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. It is slightly smaller and darker than the Great Grey Shrike. It was formerly regarded as being conspecific with that species.

It is resident in southern Europe, north Africa and the Canary Islands.

Unlike the Great Grey Shrike, it prefers dry open country.

Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder".

Sightings

17-Nov-2018 : Extremadura, Spain (1)
16-Nov-2018 : Extremadura, Spain (1)
13-Nov-2018 : Extremadura, Spain
12-Nov-2018 : Extremadura, Spain
15-Mar-2018 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (3)
13-Mar-2018 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (1)
12-Mar-2018 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (2)
11-Mar-2018 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (4)
10-Mar-2018 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

05-Mar-2009 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
03-Mar-2009 : Fuerteventura, Canary Islands