Protagonist 1: Long-tailed shrike, Lanius schach, the predator.
Protagonist 2: Brown anole, Anolis sagrei, the prey.
Long-tailed shrike, Lanius schach
- Family Laniidae
- 25-28 cm long
- resident in Singapore. Also found in North-East India, Eastern and Southern China, Taiwan & South-East Asia
- seldom encountered in field, diurnal predatory bird
- diet: lizards, small birds, small mammals, fish, small snakes
- interesting snippets: not raptor but hunts like one by swooping down on prey from high branch
- also known locally as butcher birds as they impale large preys on sharp branch or long thorn, much like the ‘butcher birds’ of Australia ( Family Artamidae, Genera Melloria & Cracticus)
Brown anole, Anolis sagrei (formerly Norops sagrei)
- Family Dactyloidae
- snout to vent length, that is, excluding tail: male 6.4 cm female 4.8 cm
- originally from Cuba and Bahamas. First noticed at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore in 2012. Probably hitched free ride on ornamental plants
- diet: insects, earthworms and snails
- interesting snippets: the lizards can display different colours depending on the time of day, whether it is displaying aggression, reproductive display.
- males have more developed dewlap for aggression, territorial and mating displays
Andy Chew documented a long-tailed shrike in the process of swallowing a dead brown anole whole.
Photos 1-4 attribute Andy Chew. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore. 19 March 2022
Photo 5 attribute Shahrul Kamal. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore. 9 March 2022
Post 1 is about a long-tailed shrike feeding on an impaled lizard and post 2 is about a tiger shrike feeding on an impaled lizard. Read post 3 about a long-tailed shrike mobbing a barn owl. Also read post 4 , post 5 , and post 6 about other aspects of the long-tailed shrike.
Article by Teo Lee Wei
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