![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/loggerhead-shrike-3728-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"loggerhead-shrike-3728-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nA legendary but seldom photographed behavior.<\/p>\n
Most of my readers know that Loggerhead Shrikes (and their close relatives Northern Shrikes) are often called “wannabe raptors” and for good reason. Loggerhead’s are strict carnivores, feeding on Arthropods, amphibians, small to medium-sized reptiles, small mammals and birds. During winter vertebrate prey, especially small mammals and birds, may constitute up to 76% of their diet.<\/p>\n
But shrikes lack one of the primary tools of raptors – talons. Shrikes have perching feet like other songbirds so their legs and feet are too weak to hold onto prey and provide enough leverage to pull off chunks of flesh with their strong, hooked bills. Impaling their prey solves that problem.<\/p>\n
Shrikes tend to be highly secretive about impaling their prey, after all they don’t want competitors to steal it, so it’s a behavior often performed in dense thickets where it’s hidden from the prying eyes of human observers. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to photograph impaling behavior in shrikes several times when they skewered grasshoppers, dragonflies and voles.<\/p>\n
The three photos below document one of those times.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n When I first got my lens on this shrike on Antelope Island ‘he’ had what I’d call a ‘hind quarter’ of a vole in his bill. This is the only photo in today’s post that I’ve posted before. I’m repeating it because it’s the best photo I have to clearly show the thorn that the shrike is about to impale the piece of vole on. There’s another thorn beneath his tail.<\/p>\n He actually impaled the vole chunk on the thorn twice before he tore a piece off and swallowed it. It was as if he was practicing the technique before enjoying his reward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Here he appeared to be evaluating or admiring his handiwork before he lifted the chunk off of the thorn and skewered it again. One leg and foot of the vole can clearly be seen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Even though the piece of vole was firmly anchored it still wasn’t easy for him to rip off a piece but he eventually got it done. Watching this process made it clear to me why his small, weak feet wouldn’t be up to the task of anchoring his prey.<\/p>\n “Wannabe’ raptor indeed.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: Impaling behavior has another function for shrikes other than anchoring their food. Shrikes store food in what’s referred to as their “larder” so impaling it in secretive places is a way of keeping it safe and hidden from potential thieves.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A legendary but seldom photographed behavior.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/loggerhead-shrike-3699-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"loggerhead-shrike-3699-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/loggerhead-shrike-3615-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"loggerhead-shrike-3615-ron-dudley\\"")
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