Winter brings us rainstorms, hot cocoa, cozying up by the fire, and spending time indoors. Bears hibernate, while squirrels feed on nuts throughout the year.

The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) has its own traditions during the winter and year-round. Its customs, however, are not what you might expect from this striking songbird. The Loggerhead Shrike stores food, just as many other species, but its methods might seem quite surprising. Also known as the “Butcher Bird,” it hunts insects, lizards, and small mammals and impales them on sharp items like barbed wire, tree branches, and cactus spines. The immobilized victims can be an immediate meal, while uneaten parts can be saved for later.

At up to around ten inches in length, the Loggerhead Shrike is a medium-sized songbird. Adults have a gray back, with a pale gray to white underside and a prominent black mask contrasting its white throat. The wings are black with white patches and the tail black with white outer edges. This songbird has a predatory habit similar to raptors, yet lack the sharp talons and have a hooked black bill to seize its prey.

The Loggerhead Shrike is a year-round resident of shrubland and grassland habitats throughout western Riverside County. It is designated as a state Species of Special Concern because its numbers are in decline. While it may seem cruel in the way it kills and stores its prey, these birds are vital to the ecology of their habitats. Displacement due to habitat loss from development is a threat to the long-term survival of the species. Through implementation of the MSHCP, at least 165,590 acres of land supporting suitable habitat are targeted for conservation.

Updated: March 7, 2025