Basic Principles

Shrikes are great birds: active, charismatic and often perching high for excellent views. None are common, so any shrike encounter makes for a good day. They come in a variety of groupings, but this article focuses on the most regularly occurring species in Britain – Red-backed Shrike – and its close relatives from Central and Eastern Asia, two forms of Isabelline Shrike.

The taxonomy of these shrikes is fluid. Once included within a broadly defined ‘Red-backed Shrike’, Isabelline has long been treated by the British Ornithologists’ Union as a separate species, while other authorities further divide Isabelline Shrike into Daurian and Turkestan Shrikes.

Red-backed Shrike

This species has a large breeding range extending from north-west Spain in the west to western Siberia in the east. It favours open scrubby country, and in south-east Europe can be very common in areas of low intensity, traditional agriculture. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, with all birds, including those breeding furthest to the west, funnelling through the eastern Mediterranean.

Once a common breeding bird across southern England, Red-backed Shrike represents one of the greatest 20th century losses from the British avifauna. It was widespread in the 1930s, but thereafter went into a steady decline, its range increasingly restricted to East Anglia and the South-East.

By the end of the 1980s it was gone as a British breeding bird, although it has bred sporadically since. Fortunately, migrants still appear on eastern coasts in late May and early June, and again in late August and September. At both times it is a classic ‘drift migrant’ and a sure sign of Continental arrivals.

Male Red-backed Shrike is a stunning bird. Its grey crown, black face mask and white throat give it a superficial resemblance to Northern Wheatear, but the pink-flushed underparts, chestnut back and dramatic black-and-white tail give it a uniquely striking appearance.

Females are much drabber: dark chestnut above with pale lores, a brown ear covert patch, grey-washed nape and neat crescentic barring in the underparts. In autumn, first-winter birds most resemble spring females, but the upperparts, including the retained juvenile wing coverts and tertials, are strongly vermiculated, with close examination showing a narrow dark subterminal band and a pale terminal fringe to each feather.

Daurian Shrike

This eastern counterpart of Red-backed Shrike is the nominate isabellinus form of Isabelline. It breeds mainly in arid, semi-desert habitats in Mongolia and north-west China, and winters in south-west Asia, Arabia and East Africa. It is a rarity in Britain, though it occurs annually, especially on the east coast between September and November (but mainly in October), arriving at the same time and in the same weather conditions as other Asian vagrants.

In size and structure, the species resembles Redbacked Shrike. In plumage, however, it is very different. Spring males are a beautiful pale greyish-sand colour above, with a solid black face mask, a subdued buffy-orange supercilium and soft peach-coloured underparts. There is a prominent white patch in the primary bases and, most strikingly, the tail is bright orange, almost resembling that of a Common Redstart. Females are a washed-out version of the male, with pale lores, a browner mask, faint flank barring and a weaker primary patch.

The Daurian Shrikes that reach Britain are almost exclusively in first-winter plumage. These are closest in appearance to adult females: a rather plain sandy colour with subtle ginger hues, and in a British setting they look strikingly pale. They show pale lores, a subtle dark ear-covert patch and some fine crescentic barring in the underparts, and the retained juvenile wing coverts and tertials show neat dark subterminal bands and pale terminal f ringes.

The identification of these autumn shrikes is something of a work in progress. Although very different from Red-backed Shrike, the separation of first-winter Daurian and Turkestan Shrikes can be much more problematic. Most of the birds that reach Britain are, however, rather bland and pale with little contrast between the upperparts and underparts, and the working hypothesis is that these are Daurian Shrikes.

Turkestan Shrike

Turkestan Shrike, increasingly given species status as Lanius phoenicuroides, breeds from Iran through Central Asia to north-west China and also winters in south-west Asia, Arabia and East Africa. A small number of adults have been identified and accepted in Britain and some first-winters have been suspected too, although they are thought to be even rarer than Daurian Shrike. Interestingly, a high proportion of the identified birds to date have occurred outside the midto late-autumn period.

Turkestan Shrike is very distinct in adult male plumage. While sharing the orange tail and white primary flash of Daurian Shrike, it is a little darker or more richly coloured above, with a very striking chestnut forehead and crown, a bold white supercilium and bright white underparts.

Things are a little more complicated, though, as Turkestan Shrike is often considered to be dimorphic, with some adult males (the so-called ‘karelini’ variant) being noticeably greyer above with a weaker supercilium and face mask, and lacking the chestnut forehead and crown. They are therefore closer in appearance to adult male Daurian Shrike. Such birds may conceivably represent genetic

influence from Red-backed Shrike, as hybrids between the two species are well known where their ranges meet.

Female Turkestan Shrikes are less striking, being rather browner, with pale lores, a dark ear-covert patch, faint flank barring and a weaker primary patch. They also lack the prominent chestnut forehead and crown.

The identification of first-winters still requires some work, but they are considered to be less plain and sandy looking than first-winter Daurian Shrikes, slightly darker and browner above and whiter below, therefore showing a greater contrast between the upperparts and the underparts. Assessing precise colour hues and contrasts can be difficult, however, and is best achieved in ‘flat’ light rather than bright sunshine. It is also worth remembering that, as with all pale, plain species, photographs are not good at capturing the necessary subtleties.

TWELVE: Turkestan Shrike (Salalah, Oman, 28 October 2007). The structure of this bird and its pale sandy plumage point us back to one of the Isabelline Shrikes and the dark subterminal fringes in the wing coverts identify it as a first-winter. There is a significant contrast between the upperparts and rather white underparts, strongly suggesting Turkestan Shrike, but again we need to remember that photographs are poor at capturing these subtleties. Note here how, in this particular image, the tail looks rather dull. In life, however, it would surely appear brighter.

THREE: Daurian Shrike (Doha, Kuwait, 22 February 2012). This bird resembles the individual in our opening picture. It is strikingly pale and bland, a rich warm sand colour with a lovely orange tail. The whole bird looks rather uniform, with relatively little contrast between the upperparts and underparts, and the vermiculations in the flanks are relatively weak. These features are all typical of Daurian Shrike. Although the differences are subtle, note here the slightly shorter wing and longer tail compared with Red-backed Shrike.

TWO: Red-backed Shrike (Limburg, The Netherlands, 18 October 2008). The relatively long wing point and short tail of this shrike suggest that it is a Red-backed, a diagnosis confirmed by its plumage. The medium-toned rich brown hues in the upperparts are typical, as is the contrast between the brown mantle and a subtly grey nape. Also normal for Redbacked Shrike are the very strong vermiculations in the flanks. This bird can be aged as a youngster by the prominent barring in the mantle and scapulars and the dark subterminal fringes in the wing coverts.

FIVE: Red-backed Shrike (Fair Isle, Shetland, May 2016). The rich brown upperparts and ear coverts, grey nape and rich brown (not orange) tail all confirm this bird as a female Red-backed Shrike. Note again the quite long primary projection and very pointed wing but also the relatively short and rather square-ended tail. As well as being slightly shorter winged and longer tailed than Red-backed Shrike, the two Isabelline Shrike forms also show a slightly rounded tail-tip.

FOUR: Presumed Turkestan Shrike (Al Abraq, Kuwait, 17 September 2014). This bird is superficially similar to that in the previous image, but the vermiculations in the flanks are somewhat bolder and there is perhaps a little more contrast between the slightly browner upperparts and slightly whiter underparts. The bird therefore appears less uniform in colour. The differences between young Daurian and Turkestan Shrikes are small, however, and assessing precise plumage hues from photographs is particularly difficult. Assigning young birds to a precise taxon should be done with caution.

SIX: Daurian Shrike (Salalah, Oman, 9 April 2014). This pale sandy bird is clearly an Isabelline rather than a Red-backed Shrike. Even though slightly obscured from this angle, note as well its rather short-winged and long-tailed proportions. Judging by the photograph, it is particularly pale, almost ghostly, and is therefore a Daurian Shrike. Precise plumage hues are best judged in the field, however, preferably from a variety of angles if possible.

SEVEN: Turkestan Shrike (Ahvaz, Iran, 25 April 2014). This image displays well the strong contrast between sandy upperparts and a bright orange, almost Nightingale-like, tail shown by both the Isabelline Shrikes. Although this bird looks quite pale there is nevertheless something of a contrast between the upperparts and underparts, but assessing these subtleties from a single photograph is risky. Note here also the small white patch at the base of the primaries.

EIGHT: Red-backed Shrike (Winterton, Norfolk, 27 August 2014). Adult male Red-backed Shrikes are unmistakable, resembling a large male Penduline Tit. Note the striking combination of black mask, grey forehead, crown and nape, rich rufous upperparts and grey rump contrasting with a black and white tail. Sadly this species is now lost as a British breeding bird, but splendid migrants like this can still be seen on the east coast in late May and early June.

NINE: Daurian Shrike (Jahra Pools, Kuwait, 22 April 2015). This adult male shrike is a beautiful pale greyish-sand colour above, with a solid black face mask, a relatively subdued supercilium and soft peach-coloured underparts. There is a prominent white patch in the primary bases and, most strikingly, the tail is bright orange, almost resembling that of a Common Redstart. It is clearly one of the Isabelline Shrikes, and the greyish-sand (not chestnut) forehead and crown and peachy underparts indicate that it is a Daurian Shrike.

ELEVEN: Brown Shrike (Staines Moor, Surrey, 16 October 2009). This is an intriguing bird. Its rich brown and barred upperparts suggest a young Red-backed Shrike, but its tail is rather bright and rusty, reminiscent of one of the Isabelline Shrikes. So what is it? We can make most progress by looking at its structure. It looks very short winged, with the primary projection shorter than the exposed tertials, so Red-backed Shrike is off the agenda, while the tail is not bright orange, eliminating the Isabelline Shrikes, too. The tail also looks quite long and rather narrow. These are all features of another shrike species – Brown Shrike, a much rarer vagrant to Britain but one which is becoming steadily more regular.

TEN: Turkestan Shrike (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 9 June 2009). This bird is similar to that above, and also very striking, but is noticeably whitish below, producing a very strong and obvious contrast between the upperparts and underparts. The upperparts are also a more saturated brownish colour (not pale greyish-sand) and the forehead and crown are bright chestnut, contrasting with the rest of the upperparts. This set of characters is unique to adult male Turkestan Shrike.