Lanius vittatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The bay-backed shrike (Lanius vittatus) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes, resident in South Asia. It is smallish shrike at 17 cm, maroon-brown above with a pale rump and long black tail with white edges. The underparts are white, but with buff flanks. The crown and nape are grey, with a typical shrike black bandit mask through the eye. There is a small white wing patch, and the bill and legs are dark grey.
Sexes are similar, but young birds are washed-out versions of the adults. The bay-backed shrike has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude perched on a bush, from which it sallies after lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents.
Prey may be impaled upon a sharp point, such as a thorn. Thus secured they can be ripped with the strong hooked bill, but its feet are not suited for tearing. It is a widespread resident or breeder in southern Asia and occurs in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, and Turkmenistan. It is occasionally found in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. It nests in bushes in scrubby areas and cultivation, laying 3–5 eggs.
Bay... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 12 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike sighting in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 158th most-seen of the 174 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bay-backed Shrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
24th of 31
Of the 31 cities where we can rate Bay-backed Shrike sightings, Thiruvananthapuram ranks 24th at under 5%. The best odds are in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (India, about 20%), Jaipur (India, about 10%) and Indore (India, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bay-backed Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Thiruvananthapuram (8 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.
