Background of Shrikes

Common Woodshrike

The following series of photographs are of the Common Woodshrike, of slight variety of colouration. There is more information of this bird species in the upcoming issue of Arunachala Grace News. If you are not yet a subscriber to the Newsletter, please check out the 'subscribe facility' at the left column of Arunachala Birds, in order to become a free subscriber and have a copy of the monthly Arunachala Grace News sent direct to your email inbox.

Other species with similar names and popularly called "Shrikes," (but not in the Laniidae Family) are in the following other families:

Prionopidae: Helmetshrikes.

Malaconotidae: Puffback Shrikes, Bush Shrikes, Tchagras and Boubous.

Campephagidae: Cuckoo-Shrikes.

The Prionopidae and Malaconotidae are quite closely related to the Laniidae, and were formerly included in the Shrike family. Cuckoo-Shrikes and allies in the Campephagidae family are small to medium-sized passerine bird species found in the subtropical and tropical Asia, Africa, and Australasia.

Wood-shrikes (Tephrodornis) were often considered to be in this family but are probably closer to Helmetshrikes or Bushshrikes. The South Asian group of Woodshrikes which are found in scrub or open woodland are similar in feeding habits to Shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush or tree.

There are various other varieties of Shrike are to be found in Tiruvannamalai District, so hope to give more information about them in upcoming posts.