Lanius isabellinus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The isabelline shrike or Daurian shrike (Lanius isabellinus) is a member of the shrike family (Laniidae). It was previously considered conspecific with the red-backed shrike and red-tailed shrike. It is found in an extensive area between the Caspian Sea and north and central China southeast to the Qaidam Basin. Overwinters in Africa and Arabia.
The genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The common name is from the specific isabellinus, Neo-Latin for "greyish-yellow" probably named for Isabella I of Castile, said to have promised not to change her undergarments until Spain was freed from the Moors. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc, "shriek", referring to the shrill call.
This migratory medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a larder. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with thorn bushes.
The plumage is isabelline, the sandy colour which gives rise to its... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 2 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 8 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 10 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 19 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 20 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 2 | Manama | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | |
| 3 | Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 4 | Doha | 🇶🇦 Qatar | |
| 5 | Dubai | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 6 | Riyadh | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | |
| 7 | Karachi | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | |
| 8 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Jodhpur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Dushanbe | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Isabelline Shrike sighting in Karachi on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 70th most-seen of the 97 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Isabelline Shrike in Karachi on a given day, against under 5% in February to August, the lowest months. Those are among Karachi's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 75 mm in August.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Isabelline 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.
7th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Isabelline Shrike sightings, Karachi ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kuwait City (Kuwait, about 20%), Manama (Bahrain, about 20%) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Isabelline Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Karachi (12 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.
