Lanius borealis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The northern shrike (Lanius borealis) is a large songbird species in the shrike family (Laniidae) native to North America and Siberia. Long considered a subspecies of the great grey shrike, it was classified as a distinct species in 2017. Six subspecies are recognised.
The northern shrike was formally described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1808 under its present binomial name Lanius borealis. In the 19th century, North American ornithologists considered it as a separate species from the great grey shrike, while European authorities held them to be the same species. American ornithologist Alden H. Miller investigated differences between the Siberian and Alaskan populations in 1930 and could find no consistent differences, hence he recommended combining the two into Lanius excubitor.
In North America, this and the related loggerhead shrike are commonly known as butcherbirds for their habit of impaling prey on thorns or spikes. A folk name from Michigan is winter butcherbird. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation people of Old Crow, Yukon call it Tzi kwut go katshi lyi. As a passerine, or song bird, it has no talons. It has the hooked beak of a raptor... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Shrike sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 707 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 124th most-seen of the 259 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Shrike in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in January and March–September, the lowest months. Those are among Calgary's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 120 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Shrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 14
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Northern Shrike sightings, Calgary ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Northern Shrike that you can see in Calgary (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Black-capped Chickadee (about 90%), Black-billed Magpie (about 80%) and American Robin (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Calgary (707 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
