Great Grey Shrike

“Lanius Excubitor”

“The Butcher Bird”

This beautiful songbird hides a dreadful secret.It has sadistic tendencies.

It beats its victim to death with its inch long beak and skewers them on thorns.

It can’t grip its victims like a bird of prey so it uses a blackthorn to impale them to assist with the dismembering process.

This strikingly beautiful passerine is a long-tailed, thrush-sized, grey, black and white bird with  distinctive black markings like a highwayman’s mask over their eyes.

 and has an 11 cm tail.

It is around 22 to 26cm in length.

It has a wingspan of around 36cm.

It weighs in at between 56 and 80cm

With only around 100 visitors each winter it’s always a delight to see one.

But not if your a Robin or a Lizard!