Shrike shrike (lat. Urolestes melanoleucus ) Is a songbird from the Shrike family. The only species of the genus Urolestes
Description
Large birds, whose body length is approximately 45 cm, of which approximately 30 cm is accounted for by a very long tail. The plumage is contrasting, black and white. The male has a head, back, wing-coverts, tail, and also almost the entire lower part of the body is black. The white feathers on the shoulders form, together with the grayish-white tail on the upper body, a white V-pattern. Flight feathers are predominantly black. Black beak and legs
The subspecies differ mainly in the length of the tail and wings, the length of the white spot on the wings, a shade of gray on the tail, and a shade of brown in the plumage. The nominative form has the longest wing and tail length, subspecies U. m. aequatorialis the shortest tail with deeper black color on the throat and chest. Subspecies U. m. expressa smaller, the white patch on the wings is smaller and the tail is gray rather than white. Subspecies U. m. angolensis similar to subspecies U. m. aequatorialis, the tail is shorter than the nominative tail. Subspecies status U. m. angolensis and U. m. expressa requires further research
Lifestyle
Birds feed primarily on arthropods, mainly insects. They also eat bipeds, reptiles, mice and sometimes small fruits, as well as fresh meat and carrion. Shrike shrikes often live in small groups, however, within the group, apparently only one monogamous pair nests, which protects a small area around the nest. In clutch there are from one to six, usually from 3 to 5 eggs.Chicks are fed by insects, reptiles and rodents
Subspecies
Depending on the source, 2 (U. m. angolensis and U. m. expressa considered as synonymous with the nominative form) or 4 subspecies
Notes (edit)
- ↑Boehme R.L., Flint V.E... A five-language dictionary of animal names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / Edited by Acad. V.E.Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 289. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0
- ↑ 12345 Tony Harris: Shrikes & Bush Shrikes: Including Wood-shrikes, Helmet-shrikes, Shrike Flycatchers, Philentomas, Batises and Wattle-eyes... A&C Black, 2000, ISBN 978-0713638615, S. 142-144.
Literature
- Tony Harris: Shrikes & Bush Shrikes: Including Wood-shrikes, Helmet-shrikes, Shrike Flycatchers, Philentomas, Batises and Wattle-eyes. A&C Black, 2000, ISBN 978-0713638615
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