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Long-tailed Shrike eating impaled skink

on 15th January 2010

The earlier post of a Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach) impaling a lizard on a palm thorn has made people more aware of this feeding behaviour of shrikes. This is the first reported case of a shrike impaling its prey in Singapore accompanied with images.

The post attracted the attention of Dr Robert deCandido, an ornithologist based in New York who is familiar with the region. Robert mentioned that the late Laurence Poh photographed the larder of a Long-tailed Shrike, “including one frog that had been impaled.” The photograph was taken in 2003 in Ipoh, in the Malaysian state of Perak.

Now, Kwong Wai Chong has sent in his image of the shrike eating from its cache – a skink impaled on the broken end of a dead branch.

We welcome more records of shrikes impaling their prey from photographers and birdwatchers alike. The current public records of such feeding behaviour needs to be updated.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

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