Red-tailed Shrike

Lanius phoenicuroides - Pie-grièche du Turkestan

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♂ adult plum. post breeding
Systematics
  • Order 
    :

    Passeriformes

  • Family
    :

    Laniidés

  • Genus
    :

    Lanius

  • Species
    :

    phoenicuroides

Descriptor

Schalow, 1875

Biometrics
  • Size
    : 18 cm
  • Wingspan
    : -
  • Weight
    : 25 à 34 g
Geographic range

Distribution

Identification

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♂ adult plum. post breeding
Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♀ adult plum. breeding

Not long ago, the Red-tailed Shrike of Turkestan, also known as the Red-tailed Shrike, was a subspecies of the Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus). Currently, it is considered a good species by the International Ornithological Committee, Lanius phoenicuroides. That is why it has a gallery on oiseaux.net.
Distinguishing the different taxa from the former superspecies L. isabellinus is not easy as they are very similar from all points of view. Their distribution and the location of the observation are criteria to be taken into account before any identification. The description here will be made in reference to the description of the Isabelline Shrike given elsewhere in order to avoid repetition. The two taxa are very similar in terms of silhouette and behavior.
The adult male can be recognized by the greater contrast between the top and the bottom. The upper parts are of a relatively dark bru-beige, with a clear reddish hue on the head. The rump, the tertials and the tail are of a deeper red, with a brown hue on the central rectrices and at the end of the others. So the top of the body is generally less uniform. Generally, a sharp white eyebrow slips between the russet cap and the black mask. The lower parts are paler, less infiltrated by red, and often appear white from afar. A salmon hue is often distinguished when the plumage is new. The white spot of the primaries stands out well on the dark brown background of the wing. But be careful of the ambient light that can change the perception of colors. In addition, some individuals appear intermediate, with a grayer upper part, less red and a weakened eyebrow. Great vigilance is always necessary for such individuals.The female resembles the male, but with less distinct and contrasting colors, and a less noticeable eyebrow. The rest can be repeated of what has been said for the female isabelle, as well as for the juvenile individual. This species is said to hybridize in the west of its range with the Red-tailed Shrike with which it comes into contact in the east and south of the Caspian Sea. The hybrids produced are intermediate, with a much darker tail, possibly blackish, and a very reduced white patch on the primaries.

Subspecific information monotypic species

Foreign names

  • Pie-grièche du Turkestan,
  • Alcaudón colirrojo,
  • picanço-do-turquestão,
  • Rotschwanzwürger,
  • Turkestaanse Klauwier,
  • Averla codirossa,
  • turkestantörnskata,
  • Rødhalevarsler,
  • strakoš turkménsky,
  • ťuhýk turkestánský,
  • Turkestantornskade,
  • ruostepäälepinkäinen,
  • Rooistertlaksman,
  • dzierzba rdzawosterna,
  • rudastes čakste,
  • Туркестанский жулан,
  • アカオモズ,
  • 棕尾伯劳,
  • 棕紅尾伯勞,

Voice song and cries

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
adult plum. breeding

Habitat

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♂ adult plum. breeding

The habitat varies according to the country and the latitude. For example, in Pakistan, the Red-tailed Shrike nests at altitudes above 2000 m, in low shrub vegetation based on junipers. On the other hand, in the south of Turkmenistan, it is a bird of the plain, nesting in tamarisk valleys, the bushes of the steppe, the reed beds around water courses and even in agricultural areas such as pistachio plantations.

Reproduction nesting

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♂ adult

The Red-tailed Shrike of Turkestan nests in bushes, particularly spiny bushes, like the Hooded Crow. The nest is built at an average height of one meter, sometimes higher in pistachio trees or aspens up to 3-5 m.

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♂ adult
The nest resembles that of the Hooded Crow. When built in reed beds, like around Lake Balkhash, it can be entirely made of elements taken from the immediate environment (leaves, fibers, inflorescences of reeds). The female lays 3 to 7 eggs, on average 5, which is a slightly higher clutch size than Isabellinus. The nest is frequently parasitized by the Eurasian Grey Cuckoo. For example, at the edge of Lake Balkhash, 13 parasitized nests were found out of 90 checked nests.

Geographic range

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
♂ adult plum. post breeding

The Red-tailed Shrike of Turkestan breeds in the west and southwest range of the Lesser Grey Shrike, from Iran to Chinese Xinjiang, through countries of Central Asia and Kazakhstan to the north, western Pakistan and Afghanistan to the south.
The winter range is separate. This shrike will winter in the African continent, mainly in the northeast, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and further west, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Some individuals might even reach the Atlantic coast in the Gambia, Mali and Mauritania. On their way they pass across the Arabian Peninsula where they can stay a bit longer.

Threats - protection

Pie-grièche du Turkestan
First year
IUCN conservation status
Extinct
Threatened
Least
concern
Extinc
in the Wild
Near
threatened
Not
evaluated
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

At present, the species is not considered threatened.

Sources of information

Other sources of interest

QRcode Pie-grièche du TurkestanSpecification sheet created on 27/07/2023 by
Translation by AI Oiseaux.net
published: - Updated: 17-03-2017
© 1996-2024 Oiseaux.net