Note the narrow eye band that doesn’t extend over the eyes or above the bill. Photo © cuatrok77 / Flickr A northern shrike. (For more shrike ID tips, check out this guide from Audubon.) A loggerhead shrike. Northerns have a slimmer band that narrows as it meets the bill, and does not cover top of bill or go over eye. Getting a good look at that band is key to telling the species apart: Loggerheads have a slightly chunkier body and a thicker band that covers the top of bill. Both birds also have prominent white wing patches that are visible in flight and a black band through the eye. But which species? There are two types of shrike in North America, the loggerhead shrike and the northern shrike.īoth species are remarkably similar: they’re about the size of a robin, with a dark, hooked bill, grey body, and black-and-white wings. If you’ve ever come across a small animal impaled on a spike, odds are it was killed by a shrike. We dive into the fascinating story behind shrikes and their grisly table manners. Both species regularly impale prey - often still alive - on spikes, thorns, or barbed wire, and leave them there for days or weeks. Who killed them? And why? As it turns out, this real-life murder mystery has a surprising avian culprit: the shrike.Īlso known as butcherbirds, loggerhead and northern shrikes leave a culinary horror show in their wake. A few meters away, a dead bee protrudes from another twist of metal. Send us feedback about these examples.The desiccated lizard hangs lifeless on fence, impaled through the gut on a barbed-wire spike. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 28 July 2022 See More Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2022 Cats often prey on birds and other small animals. 2022 Insects and spiders prey on the larvae. 2022 Birds prey on dragonflies, but Burne said he’s also seen fish jump out of the water and take dragonflies from the air. Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Oct. 2022 White sharks also prey on sea lions and harbor seals, and some naturalists have seen the aftermath of gruesome attacks on pinnipeds. Jacquelyne Germain, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Nov. 2023 In terms of their actual diets, jaguars and leopards generally prey upon small to medium herbivores, which vary depending on location but include antelope, deer, impala, tapir and birds. Heather Hunter, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2023 Unsurprisingly, politicians and special interests want to prey on this fear, and cash bail has become their prime target. Verb Those genomes also revealed a hint of rapid, ongoing evolution that in just the past few decades allowed the species to prey on humans and likely spread disease even more efficiently in African cities. 2023 Deer, bears and rabbits lived among the pines and aspens, and eagles soared above, hunting for prey. 2023 Living in the darkness, some species depend on their ability to sense vibrations or noise to avoid predators or find mates and prey. 2023 The Ancient Wooden Clubs Myth The ethnographic record indicates that for the past few centuries, diverse forager societies have used clubs for fighting and hunting particular prey. ![]() 2023 During that study, FIU also found pharmaceuticals in bonefish prey, like shrimp, crabs, and smaller fish. ![]() David Streitfeld, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023 Anything not nailed down in America, along with quite a bit that is, becomes prey. 2023 Pitcher color, size or shape might play a role in the plants’ ability to attract prey, according to different hypotheses floated by scientists. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2023 In Twilight there’s no rescue for scapegoats or other innocent prey, and, as Dürrenmatt preferred, there’s no triumph for the dogged detective. Noun The American comedy horror film, directed and produced by Chris McKay, follows Renfield who procures his master's prey.
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