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Long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach) swallowing brown anole (Anolis sagrei)

on 23rd March 2022

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.

Photo 1. Long-tailed shrike with dead brown anole in its beak.

 

Photo 2. Long-tailed shrike swallowing brown anole head first.

 

Photo 3. Half of brown anole inside mouth of long-tailed shrike.

 

Photo 4. Only long tail of brown anole remains to be swallowed.

 

Photo 5. Potrait of a brown anole.

 

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 4post 5 , and post 6 about other aspects of the long-tailed shrike.

Article by Teo Lee Wei

References: 

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_shrike
  2. https://ebird.org/species/lotshr1
  3. https://wiki.nus.edu.sg/display/TAX/Norops+sagrei+-+Brown+Anole

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.

LW Teo

Other posts by LW Teo

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