Lanius vittatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
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| # | 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 Vasai-Virar on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 146th most-seen of the 217 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
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike in Vasai-Virar on a given day, against under 5% in March–September and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among Vasai-Virar's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 840 mm in July.
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.
11th of 31
Of the 31 cities where we can rate Bay-backed Shrike sightings, Vasai-Virar ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (India, about 20%), Jaipur (India, about 10%) and Indore (India, about 10%).
Same genus: Lanius
The closest relatives of the Bay-backed Shrike that you can see in Vasai-Virar (genus Lanius, Typical Shrikes) are Long-tailed Shrike (about 60%) and Isabelline Shrike (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bay-backed Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Vasai-Virar (37 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.
