Into the Woods with Curio: Shrike strike

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” Colossians 3:23

There has been a shrike visiting our backyard bird feeders several times already this winter. Unlike the chickadees, goldfinches and other small birds that are looking for birdseed, this robin-sized grey, black and white songbird is actually a raptor and is after the birds themselves. When it suddenly appears in the backyard it causes a big stir, with the smaller birds flying for cover and sounding the alarm.

Like many raptors, a shrike must get as close as possible to its prey. It first uses the cover of small bushes and conifers to sneak up on the unsuspecting birds. Then it waits for an opportunity and flies out for a quick chase, using an aerial dive to force its chosen victim down to the ground, where it pummels it repeatedly with its beak to injure or kill the small bird. Shrikes don’t have the sharp talons and beak of a hawk or owl, nevertheless, they still hunt small birds, as well as mice, and insects in the summer.

Despite these disadvantages, the shrike is still capable of carrying its prey in its beak or claws, though its weak feet and claws prevent it from tearing apart its prey to eat it. Instead, a shrike hangs its victims on the thorn of a hawthorn or other ‘spikey’ bush so it can manipulate it. Sometimes it lets the prey ripen a little, so it comes apart more easily. This rather gruesome trait has earned the shrike the nick-name of ‘butcher-bird’.

Seen around camp and in Muskoka only during the wintertime, the northern shrike moves much further north come spring, to its breeding grounds. It is replaced by another shrike, the loggerhead shrike, though this species is now rare, and not often sighted in our region. These two shrike species are members of the larger shrike family, which boasts over 30 members, most of which are Eurasian or African. There are no shrikes in South America, Australia and Antarctica.

So, is the shrike a raptor or a songbird? Or both? It can sing, unlike most raptors, with both sexes vocalizing throughout the year. But it hunts other birds and small mammals, like a raptor. Even though it doesn’t have the size or strength or equipment of a hawk or owl a shrike is a formidable predator and behaves as such to make its living.

In some ways, it’s comparable to me trying to do a task for which I am not trained or equipped. Yet, with the Lord’s help, and my cooperation and commitment, it can get done.