Grey Shrike Research Articles

Habitat use by the endangered Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in Central Romania

In this paper we present data relating to nest density and habitat use by the Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in the Târnava Mare Valley, Romania, using both nesting tree parameters (microhabitat), and habitat parameters measured in a 100m radius around each nest. The density of nests was 0.96 per km². Average distance between nests was 768.4m. Most of the nests (94.1%) were found in poplars, in the region of the middle third of their trunk, especially at the terminal parts of the branches. The birds preferred open habitats, with extended arable field cover. Moreover, the tree and shrub cover were small in areas used for nesting. As poplars are the preferred nesting habitats of this bird, and are scarcely represented in this area, the protection of these trees is critical for conservation of the Lesser Grey Shrike.

Bird diversity in a Sahelian ecosystem under restoration: A study in the great Grenn wall extension area of Senegal

In this study, we survey the avian biodiversity in Koyli Alpha, Senegal, located in the extension area of the Great Green Wall (GGW) project in Senegal to restore the degraded ecosystems by the long years of drought during the 1970s in addition to anthropogenic pressures. Data are collected during a period of 52 days between July 2019 and Jun 2021 in Koyli Alpha and their surroundings, we identified the presence of avian species through daytime focal observations using transects, fixed points and trapping cameras. Thus, we recorded the presence of 198 total bird species. Species composed of 143 landbirds and 55 waterbirds distributed in 22 orders and 59 families. The most common were granivorous birds such as the Golgen sparrow (Passer luteus) and the Red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea). Among these inventoried species, three are categorized as critically endangered species (CR) (IUCN Redlist). They are the Rüppell's vulture (Gyps rueppelli), the White-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) and the hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus). Additionally, the Martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is categorized as endangered (EN), and the Great grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis), the Abyssinian ground hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) and the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) are categorized as vulnerable species (VN). Furthermore, 37% of observed birds are palearctic migratory species.

Local population decline of the threatened Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor is linked to the modernisation of the rural landscape

Summary Landscape changes and the intensification of agriculture in recent centuries were largely responsible for the dramatic decline in the biodiversity of farmlands. Rural settlements have also been subject to radical changes due to modernisation, but their impact on bird populations is poorly quantified. The Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor is a threatened farmland bird and already extinct in many areas. We monitored a population of this long-distance migrant in a traditional farming area in the Poľana Mountains (central Slovakia) in three breeding seasons (1996, 2016, and 2021). We analysed the impact of the increase in number of modern habitations and the decrease in traditional farmsteads on the population decline. The number of breeding territories decreased from 73 in 1996 to 38 in 2016 and 22 in 2021. As the population has declined, the breeding area has also shrunk significantly. While there were no modern homesteads in the breeding territories in 1996, by 2021 their number had increased to the number of traditional farmsteads. Building a single modern house in a territory reduced the probability of nesting to about 6%, and this effect was also seen when one or two farms were still present (17% and 40%, respectively). An additional modern homestead in the territory reduced the nesting probability to almost zero, even if a farmstead was already present. In this long-term empirical study, we identified these changes as a local threat factor for the species studied. The results presented can help in the design and implementation of conservation measures in traditional farming landscapes.

Non-breeding sites, loop migration and flight activity patterns over the annual cycle in the Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor from a north-western edge of its range

The Lesser Grey Shrike is a typical Palaearctic songbird for which we have limited knowledge of its migration ecology. All that is known about its non-breeding movements is inferred from observational data of birds on passage. The few available ring recovery data do not link breeding and African non-breeding grounds. By deploying two types of loggers, light-level geolocators and multi-sensor loggers, on birds from a declining Slovak breeding population, we present the first direct evidence for non-breeding grounds, loop migration, stopover sites and the timing of annual cycle events. With barometric data, we provide details on flight altitudes during migration. The two tracked birds migrated in a clear anti-clockwise loop to S Africa. Autumn migration tracks went through the Balkan Peninsula, Mediterranean Sea towards Libya with unusually long stays around N Chad and Niger. The next stopovers were in Angola, and the main non-breeding sites were in Botswana. Spring migration commenced on March 29 and April 7 and the birds took routes along East African countries, with stopovers later in Somalia and Saudi Arabia, before crossing the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Nocturnal migration dominated, but for three days in August, while crossing the Sahara Desert, the bird extended flights into the day with a sudden increase in flight altitudes at dawn. Flight altitudes were higher during barrier crossing and during the last phase of spring migration compared to the remaining periods, with the most extreme event recorded at 4530 m asl.

When Toxicity is Not Enough: Review and New Data on Blister Beetle (Coleoptera, Meloidae) Predation by Shrikes

Shrikes from the genus Lanius are generalists in terms of diet, even consuming highly toxic species, as blister beetles (Coleoptera, Meloidae). Despite the fact that regular predation on these coleopterans have never been described both in recent and historical literature, birds stand out as one of the groups to most often prey upon these insects. In the Old World, records of shrikes preying on oil-beetles — most of them treated as anecdotal — have been published since the 19th century. However, despite being repetitive, no review or in-depth study of this behavior has been conducted. After a literature study and new data collected in the Iberian Peninsula, it seems an extended behaviour within the clade. As could be observed in a high number of cases, birds even apply a specific technique, selecting specific body parts to kill the beetle, more sclerotic and presumably less toxic. In some cases, strict predation has been demonstrated. To date, at least six different shrike species — Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, Great Grey Shrike L. excubitor, Iberian Grey Shrike L. meridionalis, Loggerhead Shrike L. ludovicianus, Lesser Grey Shrike L. minor, and Woodchat Shrike L. senator — have been found to show signs of preying on at least nine Meloidae species throughout Europe, North Africa and North America, constituting a line of research that should be studied in greater detail.

Feather characteristics of loral zone in an insectivorous passerine: The Iberian gray shrike Lanius meridionalis, in southern France.

In the French Mediterranean plain, the northern extreme of its native range, the Iberian gray shrike, Lanius meridionalis, predominantly feeds on arthropods. Its type of loral plumage plays a key role in protecting its eyes while transporting large prey. The aims are to understand the role played by feathers in protecting the animal from various types of defensive prey. I combine an inspection of large insect prey types found on larders with a review of bird specimens found in museum collections to examine the morphometric characteristics of rictal feathers and culmen. In addition, precision photographs are used to observe the posture of the plumage in natura. Icould identify four categories of protective feathers: clustered bristles, semi-bristles, semi-plumes distributed in the loral area, and semi-plumes above the eyes. My results suggest that the Iberian gray shrike has a complex structure of loral feathers, specific to its foraging activity and prey types. The presence of these rictal bristles is probably a protection against the movements of larger prey items, which might damage loral zone of Lanius meridionalis.

Northern-like Great Grey Shrike at Falsterbo, Sweden, in November 2020

Northern-like Great Grey Shrike at Falsterbo, Sweden, in November 2020

Nature conservation significance of Plav-ІІ, Yamny peat ecosystems of Zhytomyr region

The materials of the Report on environmental impact assessment of peat extraction of the Plav-II deposit in the administrative boundaries of Olevskyi district of Zhytomyr region were analyzed. Nature conservation studies of peat ecosystems of Plav-II, Yamny have been carried out. We do not recommend the development of peat deposits. The territory of the planned activity (the southern section of the Yamny peat deposit) is partially located on the territory of the Emerald Slovechanskyi Kriazh (UA 0000173) facility. Among the animal species included in the Red Book of Ukraine, Lanius excubitor Linnaeus, 1758, Lyrurus tetrix Linnaeus, 1758 were recorded. In the last case, a hen with chicks was noted. This fact testifies to the importance of this locality for the reproduction of the species, since the hatching and hatching of the offspring in grouse takes place in the foci of their moulting in the spring. In addition to the mentioned species, the noted Crex crex Linnaeus, 1758 is a species included in Appendix II of the Berne Convention, ratified by Ukraine. For the first time, new habitats of six plant species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine were discovered: Carex chordorhiza Ehrh., Carex heleonastes Ehrh. Dactylorhiza incarnata (L.) Soó (Orchis incarnata L.), Utricularia intermedia Hayne, Salix lapponum L., Salix myrtilloides L. Noted regionally rare species of flora: Parnassia palustris L., Nymphaea candida C. Presl., Carexlimosa L. Monitoring such rare species of higher vascular plants as Andromeda polifolia L., Drosera rotundifolia L., Rhynchospora alba (L.) Vahl, etc. need research. Habitat types from resolutions of the Convention on the Conservation of Wild Flora and Fauna and Natural Habitats in Europe (Bern Convention): C1.222 Floating Hydrocharis morsusranae rafts — Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, D2.3 Transition mires and quaking bogs. One of the features of the flora and vegetation of the Plav-II tract is the absence of adventive, invasive plant species (with the exception of Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott). On the other hand, on the drained Yamny peatland, phytoinvasions appear massively, but in comparison there is a much greater and sozologically important diversity of avifauna. It is recommended to create a reserve of local importance Plav-II, as well as justify rehabilitation and renaturalization measures in the Yamny peatland.

The Crimean population of the lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor) has low behavioural flexibility in its response to approaching humans

The ongoing growth of the human population will increase the rate of wildlife-human interactions. High levels of animal tolerance and flexible responses towards human presence seem to be among the key mechanisms behind successful wildlife-human coexistence, but this behaviour remains unexplored for most populations and species of animals. Here, we investigate the escape behaviour (measured as flight initiation distance) of the Crimean population of a charismatic and declining bird species, the lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor). We examined its relationship with starting distance of the approaching human, directness of that approach (direct or tangential), habitat type (rural or suburban), and height of the perch used by shrikes. We found that the starting distance was significantly associated with escape responses of shrikes to approaching humans. In contrast, we found no significant association between escape responses and directness of approach, habitat type, or height of perch. Our results indicate that the lesser grey shrike may exhibit low flexibility in their escape responses towards humans which may have implications for their conservation management. Our results also indicate that the widely used 30 m threshold for minimum starting distance may be insufficient for rural populations, even of small passerines.

Avifauna of the Oued Bouhellou Valley (Morocco): remarkable diversity, five new breeding cases and mapping of nesting sites

In this study, we surveyed and documented diversity and nesting of avian species and their foraging and breeding resources along the Oued Bouhellou watershed (North-Eastern Morocco). A total of 120 field visits were conducted between 2018 and 2022. We recorded 85 avian species of migrants and residents, belonging to 25 families and 8 orders. The families of Accipitridae (12 species) and Muscicapidae (10 species) were the most abundant, while the observed families of Corvidae, Sturnidae, Prunellidae, Caprimulgidae, and Ciconiidae were represented less abundantly, i.e., by one species each. Equally, nests of 17 breeding species were recorded and mapped along the watershed, breeding counts of the globally endangered Egyptian vulture and the globally vulnerable Turtle Dove pairs were done, and the first breeding cases of the Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Common Nightingale, Black Kite, and the North African Long-legged Buzzard were confirmed. The nesting sites were distributed along the watershed depending on specific requirements of each species, with nesting sites of passerines separated from those of raptors. The species richness of birds is supported by the availability of both foraging and breeding resources. In summary, in this study, we recorded the avian diversity, mapped the nesting sites of the breeding bird species, and confirmed the first breeding cases for five species, thus significantly contributing to the ornithology of Morocco and the Southern slope of the Mediterranean basin.

Изучение позвоночных животных Барабинской и Ишимской лесостепей и Кулундинской степи для подготовки третьего издания Красной книги Омской области

The article presents the results of monitoring of the conditions of vertebrate populations included in the Red Book of the Omsk Region (2015) in the territories of the Azov German National, Gorkovsky, Kalachinsky, Kormilovsky, Nizhneomsky, Okoneshnikovsky, Omsk, and Cherlaksky municipal districts within the area of ​​24 000 square km. 97 respondents with an average experience of observing animals and working in nature for 27 years were interviewed. 67 key sites were surveyed by scientific methods. Monitoring was carried out to search for all 107 species recorded in the Red Book (2015) in the mentioned area and species left in that area by 2021. 79 species of animals were found. After examining its entire territory, it is proposed to exclude the following species from the Red Book of the Omsk region: siberian loach, siberian sculpin, common crane, black woodpecker and the gray shrike. The status of protection of the savka and bustard should be changed to the first category, the little bittern, white-eyed pochard and the Eurasian hoopoe - to the second category, the red-necked grebe, Siberian salamander and the gray-cheeked grebe, Siberian salamander and the greater spotted eagle - to the fifth category of rarity status.

The first breeding record of a Great Grey Shrike pair exhibiting phenotypic characters of "Homeyer's Grey Shrike" Lanius excubitor homeyeri subspecies in Poland

The first breeding record of a Great Grey Shrike pair exhibiting phenotypic characters of "Homeyer's Grey Shrike" Lanius excubitor homeyeri subspecies in Poland

Southern grey shrike as a predator of reptiles on the island of Gran Canaria and a comparison between island and mainland predation rates

Southern grey shrike as a predator of reptiles on the island of Gran Canaria and a comparison between island and mainland predation rates

Biodiversity of the Regional Landscape Park Samara Plavni within the first large reservoir in Europe Biodiversity of the Regional Landscape Park Samara Plavni within the first large reservoir in Europe

The creation of reservoirs in river valleys for the accumulation of fresh water has been and remains an important issue around the world. This process has both positive and negative consequences for people and nature. Significant changes in the regime of rivers and their valleys, flooding of meadows and forests, flooding of soils and changes in the composition of flora and fauna of adjacent territories are taking place. In this article, we consider the restoration of the biodiversity of a site of disturbed lands after the creation of one of the first large reservoirs in Europe – the Dnieper (Zaporozhe) on the River Dnieper, which has existed since 1933. The territory of the Samara floodplains was formed on the floodplain of the mouth of the Samara River, as a result of which the territories of various forest, meadow and bog biotopes were flooded. For almost 90 years, new biotopes have been developing, and populations of plant and animal species, especially waterfowl, have been renewed and enriched. In the conditions of climate change and anthropogenic pressure, the existence of this territory has fallen into question. To control the conservation of biodiversity, it is necessary to apply various management methods, one of which is creation of nature reserves. The article presents the results of a complex of scientific studies that were carried out during the zoning of the regional park Samara Plavni to improve the management of the protection of water areas and river banks. We have investigated: hydrological features, species diversity of the flora and coenotic diversity of the vegetation, fauna of aquatic invertebrates, and terrestrial vertebrates. Zoning of the Regional Landscape Park was based on the composition of stable components of ecosystems. When applying the protected regime in different zones, conditions will be created for the preservation of habitats of species, including those protected in Europe: higher plants (Senecio borysthenicus (DC.) Andrz. ex Czern., Tragopogon borystenicus Artemcz.), reptiles (Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758), Vipera renardi (Christoph, 1861)), birds (Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758), Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758), Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758, Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758), Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758), Lanius excubitor (Linnaeus, 1758)), mammals (Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758)). Such changes would increase the implementation of the reproductive potential of all species without exception in the studied ecosystems.

Diet composition and prey choice by the Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor during the non-breeding period: comparing two methods of diet analysis

ABSTRACT Capsule The diet of the Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor during the non-breeding period was assessed using analysis of pellets and larders. The two methods gave different results but together showed a preference for voles, crickets and dung beetles. Aims To describe the diet composition of the Great Grey Shrike based on analyses of the contents of pellets and larders; to compare the two methods, and to compare prey taken in relation to its local availability. Methods The research was carried out during the non-breeding period of the Great Grey Shrike in an agricultural landscape of east-central Poland in 2014–2018. The diet was assessed through the analysis of the contents of larders and regurgitated pellets. The abundance of potential prey was assessed with pitfall traps for invertebrates and live traps for small mammals. Results In larders, the ratio of vertebrates to invertebrates was 34.3 : 65.7 (n = 528 prey items), with Orthoptera, Coleoptera and Rodentia predominant. In pellets, the ratio was 64.6 : 35.4 (n = 237 prey items in 155 pellets), with Rodentia and Coleoptera being most numerous. The proportions of the most frequently found prey taxa differed significantly between the two methods of diet analysis. In relation to potential prey availability, Great Grey Shrikes showed a preference for Common Voles Microtus arvalis but seemed to avoid mice Apodemus spp. and Diptera. The greatest discrepancies between the methods were for Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera. Conclusion The results of the pellet and larder analyses differed, mainly because of the large number of Orthoptera found in the larders; shrikes can use them to mark their territories and so they may remain uneaten. Both analytical methods should be used simultaneously to determine the diet composition.

Winter Records of Amphibians as Avian Prey: The Case of the Great Grey Shrike and the Smooth Newt

The Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris is a hibernating amphibian, whose winter activity in central and eastern Europe is very rarely observed. We found seven Smooth Newts in late November and early December in eastern Poland in larders of the Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor. The amphibians had probably been caught by the shrike while it was looking for a suitable overwintering site. Increasing numbers of winter records of Smooth Newts may be expected in eastern Europe in connection with climate warming; analysis of the diets of certain avian species may be helpful in this respect.

Haemosporidian prevalence in Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis nestlings in the Iberian Peninsula: lower prevalence than previously reported

ABSTRACT We report a new analysis of haemosporidian occurrence in 392 Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis nestlings previously reported in Hernández et al. (2017. Haemosporidian prevalence in Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis nestlings: impact on body condition and geographic distribution in the Iberian Peninsula. Bird Study 64: 362–373). The previous findings have since been suspected of suffering from contamination by DNA samples from another species. The new analysis showed a prevalence of 1% with a single Leucocytozoon lineage (ENCIR02), distributed in two of the three populations studied.

Generalised Additive Models and Random Forest Approach as effective methods for predictive species density and functional species richness

Species distribution modelling (SDM) is a family of statistical methods where species occurrence/density/richness are combined with environmental predictors to create predictive spatial models of species distribution. However, it often turns out that due to complex multi-level interactions between predictors and the response function, different types of models can detect different numbers of important predictors and also vary in their predictive ability. This is why we decided to explore differences in the predictive power of two most common methods, such as the Generalised Additive Model (GAM) and the Random Forest (RF) on the example of the Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major and the Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor, as well as on the taxonomic and functional species richness. For each of the two bird species’ densities and for two measurements of biodiversity, two sets of SDMs were generated: One based on the GAM, and the other on the RF. According to the out-of-bag, the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and an independent evaluation, we demonstrated that the GAM is the best method for predicting density of the Great Spotted Woodpecker and taxonomic species richness, whereas the RF has the lowest prediction error for the density of the Great Grey Shrike and functional species richness. It also becomes apparent that the GAM is responsive to taxonomic species richness and species with broad tolerance to environmental factors, i.e. the Great Spotted Woodpecker, while the RF detects more subtle relationships between density and environmental variables, rendering it more suitable for functional species richness and species with a narrow tolerance range to habitats factors, i.e. the Great Grey Shrike. Thus, effective predictive modelling of animal distribution requires considering several different analytical approaches to produce biologically realistic predictions.

Do males pay more? A male-biased predation of common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) by great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor)

Predation is one of the most important factors affecting biology, ecology and behaviour of the prey. We have studied predation of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) by the great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) in farmland habitats in western Poland. Shrike caches were used as a source of information about preyed lizards. Shrikes hunt significantly more adult males than females, juveniles and sub-adults; the pattern was similar over all three study years. Male lizard had longer activity time than female; therefore, they seem to be under predation pressure for a longer time during breeding season. Capture and count transect data of common lizard populations living within and outside shrike territories showed significant seasonal differences: within shrike territories, there was lower proportion of males than females; moreover, in some territories, the number of males in the lizard population was negatively correlated with the number of males impaled by shrikes. Our findings suggest that in this particular predator-prey system, shrikes may be a strong selective force for lizards’ population dynamics. Male-biased predation could be caused by differences in the behaviour of adult male and female lizards, namely longer activity of males and differences in space and refuge use.

THE ROLE OF SPECIAL PROTECTED AREAS OF THE MURMANSK PART OF THE GREEN BELT OF FENNOSCANDIA IN THE DIVERSITY CONSERVATION OF RARE BIRD SPECIES

The contribution of the existing and planned protected areas of the Murmansk part of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia to the conservation of the populations of bird species listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation and the Murmansk Region is analyzed. The history of studies of the avifauna of each protected area is considered. The areas best studied by ornithologists (Ainovy Islands of Kandalakshsky Strict Nature Reserve (zapovednik), Pasvik Strict Nature Reserve, Kaita Regional Nature Reserve (zakaznik), planned zakazniks - Pazovsky and Vuorjema) and the least studied ones (Laplandsky Les, Kutsa regional zakaznik, planned Ionn-N'yugoajv, Spruce Forests of Alla-Akkajarvi zaka-zniks. and others) have been identified. The avifauna of the study area totals 256 species, including 35 red-listed species. It is demonstrated that the protected areas do preserve a high biodiversity of birds and maintain their populations. The best performance is observed for the Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus, Smew Mergellus albellus, White-tailed Sea Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, Common Crane Grus grus, Dipper Cinclus cinclus and Great Gray Shrike Lanius excubitor. However, for some protected areas of regional status, knowledge gaps need to be filled through implementation of special biodiversity monitoring programs, research on the state of habitats of rare bird species, and assessment of their numbers.