Lanius vittatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike sighting in Keoladeo National Park on a given day, based on 648 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 90th most-seen of the 278 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike in Keoladeo National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May to July, the lowest months. Those are among Keoladeo National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 240 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.
2nd of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Bay-backed Shrike sightings, Keoladeo National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Mudumalai National Park (India, about 40%).
Same genus: Lanius
The closest relatives of the Bay-backed Shrike that you can see in Keoladeo National Park (genus Lanius, Typical Shrikes) are Long-tailed Shrike (about 50%) and Brown 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 Keoladeo National Park (648 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
