Lanius vittatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike sighting in Ranthambore National Park on a given day, based on 312 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 251 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bay-backed Shrike in Ranthambore National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. That is one of Ranthambore National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 270 mm in August.
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.
3rd of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Bay-backed Shrike sightings, Ranthambore National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Mudumalai National Park (India, about 40%) and Keoladeo National Park (India, about 30%).
Same genus: Lanius
The closest relatives of the Bay-backed Shrike that you can see in Ranthambore National Park (genus Lanius, Typical Shrikes) are Long-tailed Shrike (about 30%) and Great Grey 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 Ranthambore National Park (312 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.
