CreatureData

Loggerhead shrike

Lanius ludovicianus Linnaeus, 1766

NTNear Threatenedsongbirds

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a species in the family Laniidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 43.7 g to 51.6 g and live up to 12.5 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Photo: Lanius_ludovicianus_-Texas_-USA-8.jpg : Terry Ross derivative work:… · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the loggerhead shrike

Weight
43.7 g – 51.6 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
32 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
12.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
15 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the loggerhead shrike?

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE · WINGSPAN 32 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 32 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the loggerhead shrike is about 19% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the loggerhead shrike live?

Not recorded

What is the loggerhead shrike?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike (L. borealis) occurs north of its range; however, it is also found in Siberia. It is nicknamed the butcherbird after its carnivorous tendencies, as it consumes prey such as insects, amphibians, lizards, small mammals and small birds, and some prey end up displayed and stored at a site, for example in a tree. 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 Midwestern, New England and Mid-Atlantic areas.

From the Wikipedia article “Loggerhead shrike” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Loggerhead_shrike&oldid=1384643410), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the loggerhead shrike endangered?

The loggerhead shrike is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.

How is the loggerhead shrike classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyLaniidae
  6. genusLanius
  7. SpeciesLanius ludovicianus Linnaeus, 1766

Synonyms Lanius carolinensis, Lanius carolinensis, Lanius ludovicanus

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • French mockingbirdEnglish
  • botxí americàCatalan
  • ťuhýk americkýCzech
  • cigydd pendewWelsh
  • Amerikansk TornskadeDanish
  • LouisianawürgerGerman
  • Louisiana-WürgerGerman
  • amerika lanioEsperanto
  • Nordamerika lanioEsperanto
  • Alcaudón verdugoSpanish
  • Alcaudón americanoSpanish
  • Verdugo AmericanoSpanish
  • ameerika õgijaEstonian
  • amerikanisolepinkäinenFinnish
  • Pie-grièche migratriceFrench
  • Scréachán MeiriceánachIrish
  • Pieannad AmericaanaghManx
  • indiángébicsHungarian
  • Averla stolidaItalian
  • Averla americanaItalian
  • アメリカオオモズJapanese
  • 바보때까치Korean
  • amerikinė medšarkėLithuanian
  • kašķīgā čaksteLatvian
  • Amerikaanse KlapeksterDutch
  • amerikavarslerNorwegian
  • Agache-écreuhèle migratricePicard
  • dzierzba siwaPolish
  • picanço-americanoPortuguese
  • Американский жуланRussian
  • Американский сорокопутRussian
  • strakoš čiernokrídlySlovak
  • Američki svračakSerbian
  • amerikansk törnskataSwedish
  • Amerika ÖrümcekkuşuTurkish
  • сорокопуд американськийUkrainian
  • 呆头伯劳Chinese
  • 呆頭伯勞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the loggerhead shrike

Other species in the same genus Lanius.

CompareLoggerhead shrike vs Red-backed shrikeLoggerhead shrike vs Great grey shrikeLoggerhead shrike vs Lesser grey shrikeLoggerhead shrike vs Woodchat shrike

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the loggerhead shrike?

An adult loggerhead shrike weighs 43.7 g – 51.6 g and has a wingspan of 32 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the loggerhead shrike endangered?

The loggerhead shrike is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

How long does the loggerhead shrike live?

The loggerhead shrike has a recorded lifespan of 12.5 years.

What kind of animal is the loggerhead shrike?

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) belongs to the family Laniidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/loggerhead-shrike

MLA

“Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/loggerhead-shrike.

BibTeX
@misc{loggerhead_shrike_2026,
  title = {Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/loggerhead-shrike},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}