Lanius borealis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The northern shrike (Lanius borealis) is a large songbird species in the shrike family (Laniidae) native to North America and Siberia. Long considered a subspecies of the great grey shrike, it was classified as a distinct species in 2017. Six subspecies are recognised.
The northern shrike was formally described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1808 under its present binomial name Lanius borealis. In the 19th century, North American ornithologists considered it as a separate species from the great grey shrike, while European authorities held them to be the same species. American ornithologist Alden H. Miller investigated differences between the Siberian and Alaskan populations in 1930 and could find no consistent differences, hence he recommended combining the two into Lanius excubitor.
In North America, this and the related loggerhead shrike are commonly known as butcherbirds for their habit of impaling prey on thorns or spikes. A folk name from Michigan is winter butcherbird. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation people of Old Crow, Yukon call it Tzi kwut go katshi lyi. As a passerine, or song bird, it has no talons. It has the hooked beak of a raptor... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Shrike sighting in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 165th most-seen of the 181 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, October and December–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Shrike in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Shrike sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Northern Shrike sightings, Riding Mountain National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Denali National Park (United States, about 10%) and Katmai National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Northern Shrike that you can see in Riding Mountain National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are American Crow (about 70%), White-throated Sparrow (about 70%) and American Robin (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Shrike is recorded against all the birds logged in Riding Mountain National Park (20 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.
