26 Dec 2017

Brown Shrike feeding on a grasshopper

by | posted in: Feeding strategy | 0

ShrikeBr-grasshopper [LaiYYan]

Lai Y Yan recently documented a Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) feeding on a grasshopper at Morse Park in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The shrike somehow managed to lodge the grasshopper upright between a tangle of intertwining vines (above).

ShrikeBr-grasshopper [LaiYYan]

It then moved in and with a swift action dislodged the head that detached with the entrails still attached to it (above, below).

ShrikeBr-grasshopper [LaiYYan]

Shrikes have a reputation of impaling their larger prey through a sharp object before tearing pieces up to eat. The impaled prey is sometimes cached to be eaten later – see Link 1, LINK 2, LINK 3, LINK 4, LINK 5 and LINK 6.

An earlier post shows a shrike simply dismembered its prey and eating the parts without impaling it LINK.

After a short period of time the shrike invariable casts a pellet of the indigestible parts, as seen HERE and HERE.

Lai Y Yan
Kowloon, Hongkong
12th December 2017

This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behavior through photography and videography to a wider audience

Follow 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.

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