Dear readers hope you all are ready to welcome rain;
much-needed for us as well as for farming and for healthy wildlife. Please make
sure we don’t waste water and use it appropriately so as our farmers don’t
struggle at a time when they need for farming.
Last time we learned about an aquatic animal, so let’s pick up a
bird for today’s learning. While going through trip albums this bird's pictures
were hitting my mind continuously, it’s like a bird was behind me to publish its
profile on the blog spot, I did some research and thought yes the bird surely
deserves the space not only because of pictures but for its unique or I can say
strange habit. So let’s meet Butcher boy Shrike in the next section.
The butcher story
Do you know why I am calling this bird a
Butcher? I am sure you are thinking that the bird must be giant or looks
similar to butchers. No it's not like that but the main story behind the
name is unusual habit of the bird, it is just similar to a butcher. Now let me
tell you about the interesting fact behind the name. Shrike is known as a
"butcher bird" because it attaches the prey on the sharp thorns or
barbs before it starts to eat it. This unusual method helps them to tear the
flesh into smaller, more conveniently sized fragments and serves as a cache so
that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions later.
I am sure it is a big surprise to you and difficult
to digest, but it is true. To help you digest the fact let me update you with
one of the most important reasons behind this habit. The bird is known to eat
species like poisonous butterflies, lubber grasshoppers, or frog; here this habit
helps the bird to degrade the poison. Poison in the body degrades after a couple
of days, and Shrike patiently waits for that to happen before it starts to eat
the prey. I hope now all doubts are clear and you can digest the fact of
butcher story. Therefore, to continue the journey let us see what all other
things make this bird a fantastic bird.
The Facts File
Shrikes are carnivorous passerine birds of the
family Laniidae. The family is composed of 31 species in four genera. They are closely
related to the bush-shrike family
Shrikes are territorial, and these territories are defended
from other pairs. In migratory species, a breeding territory is defended in the
breeding grounds and a smaller feeding territory is established during
migration and in the wintering grounds. Where several species of shrikes exist
together, competition for territories can be intense
Shrikes make regular use of exposed perch sites, where they
adopt a conspicuous upright stance. These sites are used to watch for prey and
to advertise their presence to rivals
It hunts and eats insects, lizards, small mammals, birds, frogs,
and snakes
Hooked bill of loggerhead shrike is equipped with a pair of
sharp projections that inflict injuries to the spinal cord when bird strikes
the nape of its prey
Female lays 5 to 6 eggs. Incubation period lasts
15 to 17 days. Both parents provide food for the hatchlings and participate in the rearing of chicks. Young birds are ready to leave the nest at the age of 16 to
20 days
Shrikes can survive up to 11 years in the wild, but they
usually, live only 3 to 4 years
Now since you know the bird well, I would
request you to check DSLR section for more clarity
A Message of the Day
-
Conserve water; conserve life because A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man
BT Wild Art
DSLR world
Another Education your a very good teacher Bhavesh
ReplyDeleteSirji, Thanks a lot for such a lovely words
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