Lanius ludovicianus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike (L. borealis) occurs north of its range; however, it is also found in Siberia. It is nicknamed the butcherbird after its carnivorous tendencies, as it consumes prey such as insects, amphibians, lizards, small mammals and small birds, and some prey end up displayed and stored at a site, for example in a tree. Due to its small size and weak talons, this predatory bird relies on impaling its prey upon thorns or barbed wire for facilitated consumption. The numbers of loggerhead shrike have significantly decreased in recent years, especially in Midwestern, New England and Mid-Atlantic areas.
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the loggerhead shrike in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Louisiana in the United States. He used the French name La pie-griesche de la Louisiane and the Latin Lanius ludovicianus. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not usually conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 19 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Nashville Zoo at Grassmere | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Loggerhead Shrike sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 1,405 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Loggerhead Shrike in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 10% in February–May and July–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Loggerhead Shrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Loggerhead Shrike sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 40%), Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%) and Badlands National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Loggerhead Shrike that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Boat-tailed Grackle (about 70%), Northern Cardinal (about 50%) and Yellow-rumped Warbler (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Loggerhead Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (1,405 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.
