Bull-headed Shrike

BirdEast Asia
Written By Alexander Julius Jensen

Lanius bucephalus

The bull-headed shrike's shrieking call ('kich-kich-kich') signals the approach of fall in Japan — in some regions, farmers use its call to time their work and avoid the winter frosts. The shrike's cries also serve as warnings, staking its claim over hunting grounds.

Shrieking Shrike

Shrike. A sharp and fierce name for a group of small songbirds. The name supposedly originates from the Old English word scríc, literally meaning "bird with a shrill call" — a scríc, or shrike, shrieks.

A bull-headed shrike female on the left and a male on the right.

In Japan, the high-pitched cry of a bull-headed shrike (Lanius bucephalus) is a portend of the coming fall. The shrike often sits alone at the very crown of a tree, conspicuous on its barren branch perch. From its hooked beak tip to the ends of its long tail feathers, it's only some 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long. Among the shrikes, this species is one of the few in which the sexes favour distinct attire — i.e. they are sexually dimorphic. A male is grey and black along his wings, his chest and cap are dusted with ochre, and dark streaks run across either side of his white face, forming a bandit mask over his eyes. A female is less conspicuous. The stark black wing and tail feathers of the male are, on her, a rustic brown, and her face only bears the hint of a dark mask.

Both sexes, however, are "bucephalus" — not Alexander the Great's famous horse, but the literal meaning of its name; ancient Greek for "ox-headed". While Alexander's horse was apparently named for a brand on its thigh that resembled an ox's head, the "bull-head" of this shrike likely refers to its actual head, which appears bullish in size compared to the rest of its body. Alternatively, the description may be more metaphorical — it wouldn't be inaccurate to describe the bull-headed shrike as unreasonably stubborn.

Bull-headed shrikes, both male and female, begin to shriek ('kich-kich-kich') at the onset of autumn. Widespread throughout Japan, this shrike's call — known as Takanaki, or "high-pitched singing", in Japanese — is an emblematic feature of autumn, just as the chirping of swallows means spring and the trilling of cicadas summer. So accurate is the timing of the shrike, that, allegedly, farmers in some regions of Japan set their work schedules by it, knowing that from the shrike's first high-pitched cry, it will be 75 days until the coming of the first frosts.

The real purpose of the shrike's calls is territorial. Many songbirds form flocks come autumn and winter — finding safety in numbers, warmth in each other's bodies, and more eyes to search for scarce food. The bull-headed shrike does not. Its loneliness is likely a consequence of its diet. Rather than foraging for seeds or berries, the shrike is a carnivorous hunter, and, given that prey is often spread thin, the shrike shrieks so it doesn't have to share.

Butcher Birds

This shrike's genus name, Lanius, sounds less fierce than its common one, but this scientific title describes one of the most brutal behaviours of any bird. Lanius is derived from the Latin word for "butcher" and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds"¹ — the bull-headed among them.

A shrike's hawk-like beak reflects its atypically carnivorous diet. The bull-headed shrike preys mostly (88%) upon insects — snatching fat beetles from the floor, crickets from leaves, and butterflies out of the air — but its victims also include larger, back-boned animals — lizards and frogs, small mammals and birds like sparrows or even thrushes, which are larger than the shrike itself.

Once caught, the shrike impales its victims onto thorns, twigs or barbed wire — larger prey, like mice, are often still struggling as they're thrust onto a spike and secured in place — ready to be torn into, to be butchered, by the shrike's sharp-tipped beak.² Once the shrike has had its fill, the impaled bodies are left to hang like grisly larders for the butcher to revisit when it's feeling peckish. With enough bodies hanging, a shrike can enjoy its carnivorous feasting for much of the year — only in winter, when prey is scarce and its larders empty, will it turn to eating fruit. That is the practical reason for its impaling behaviour. The other is more psychological.

The shrike is a hunter that requires a relatively large territory to patrol for prey. If other shrikes trespass, they might make off with valuable meat. In addition to its hostile shrieking, the shrike claims its domain like a brutal conqueror does his war camp; along the perimeter of its territory, it displays the impaled bodies of the dead, warning trespassers that they intrude upon the land of a mass murderer.

A Killer Songster

A tree or bush decorated with bodies, like gruesome Christmas ornaments, is a testament to the decorator's abilities. To his fitness. While repelling rivals, such a display simultaneously attracts admirers, for what female wouldn't want her children to inherit the genes of such a proficient killer? In other words, there is a strong correlation between a male shrike's ability to murder and his desirability as a suitor. Those shrikes that kill well, kill often, and stock their kills for winter also happen to attract more mates. They also sing at a higher tempo.

Shrikes are more skillful songsters than their one-note name might suggest. Their eponymous shrieks, sung in autumn and winter, are crude declarations of territory. It is during spring, from February to August, when the males truly show off their vocal talents. They do, however, lack a bit in originality. From the farmlands of north-eastern China to the parks of Japan and Korea, and the meadows of the Russian Far East, male bull-headed shrikes hope to attract mates by mimicking the songs of other birds. They chirp like greenfinches ('qui li li li'), twitter like white-eyes ('chwee'), and screech like bulbuls ('shreep') — some even 'neigh' like horses, although how attractive females find that I don't know. A male shrike's love song is a patchwork composition of its neighbour's notes. The females, however, seem to like it, as the males with the widest repertoires also attract the most mates.

A couple, once formed, is monogamous for the season.³ They build a small cup-nest, woven from grass stalks and leaves, and lined with the soft heads of silvergrasses. But before laying any eggs, the female has to be fed by her partner and the more she is fed, the more eggs she will lay. The older male shrikes with a few years of experience, were, unsurprisingly, more capable of feeding their mates. This may partly explain why females prefer males who can mimic — the ability to learn and accurately reproduce the songs of many other birds can take years to master, and so the male's mimicking abilities may accurately reflect his mature age. After being fed, she lays. Depending on the success of the male — i.e. the satiation of the female — she will pop out anywhere between two eggs (the male should have tried harder) to six eggs (he did pretty well).

A month and a half later, each of those eggs will be an independent hunter. An impaler and a butcher. A shrieking herald of fall and a mimicking songster in spring. All in the package of a small bird with a big head and a headstrong attitude.

¹ Not to be confused with the Australian butcherbirds (in the family Artamidae) which, like the shrikes, have a habit of impaling their prey on thorns or metal barbs.

A loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) with a grasshopper.

² With fairly weak feet, a shrike might struggle to hold down its prey as it shears off pieces of meat. The shrike's impaling behaviour — known as Hayanie in Japanese — secures the body firmly in place, like meat on a spit, easily butchered with a sharp beak.

Another practical function of impaling prey is displayed by the loggerhead shrike. This North American species has been recorded piercing poisonous grasshoppers and waiting until their bodies detoxify before consuming them.


³ It may be socially monogamous, like most birds, but the bull-headed shrike sneaks some action on the side (also like most birds). Extra-pair fertilization — i.e. successful sex outside of an established pair bond — occurs at a rate of about 10%, while nestlings from extra-pair fertilization were recorded in 17% of nests.

Where Does It Live?

⛰️ Open habitats; forest edges, farmlands, and parks.

📍 Japan, Korea, northeast China, and far-eastern Russia.

‘Least Concern’ as of 12 June, 2024.

IUCN

  • Size // Small

    Wingspan // N/A

    Length // 19 - 20 cm (7.5 - 7.9 in)

    Weight // 35 - 52 g (1.2 - 1.8 oz)

  • Activity: Diurnal ☀️

    Lifestyle: Solitary 👤/ Pair 👥

    Lifespan: 8 years (max recorded)

    Diet: Carnivore

    Favorite Food: Insects 🦗

  • Class: Aves

    Order: Passeriformes

    Family: Laniidae

    Genus: Lanius

    Species: L. bucephalus

  • The bull-headed shrike's hawk-like beak reflects its carnivorous diet — consisting of insects, as well as back-boned creatures like frogs, mice, and other birds (such as thrushes, which can be larger than the shrike itself).

    This shrike's genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher". Once caught, the shrike impales its victims onto thorns, twigs or barbed wire — larger prey, like mice, are often still struggling as they're thrust onto a spike and secured in place.

    (Shrikes, also known as "butcherbirds", are not to be confused with the Australian butcherbirds in the family Artamidae, which also have a habit of impaling their prey.)

    The impaled bodies are left to hang like ornaments on a gruesome Christmas tree, serving as larders for the shrike and — distributed along the borders of its territory — a brutal declaration of ownership.

    The males that spike the most bodies also happen to attract the most mates, for what female wouldn't want her children to inherit the genes of such a proficient killer?

    The bull-headed is unusual among shrikes in displaying sexual dimorphism — the male has a coppery belly and head, with grey and black on his wings and tail and a dark bandit mask across his face, while the female wears different shades of brown with barely a hint of a mask.

    The name 'shrike' supposedly originates from the Old English word scríc, literally meaning "bird with a shrill call", but shrikes are more skillful songsters than their one-note name might suggest. Bull-headed males mimic the songs of their neighbours — some even 'neigh' like horses — and the males with the widest repertoires also attract the most mates.

    The amount of eggs a female bull-headed shrike will lay (usually 2–6) depends on how well she is fed by her partner; the more satiated she is, the more eggs she lays.

Alexander Julius Jensen
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