Lesser Gray Shrike Lanius minor Scientific name definitions

19–23 cm; 41–61·6 g. A medium-sized shrike with long wings (long primary extension), relatively short, rounded tail, and stubby-looking bill . Male nominate race has black forehead , lores and facial mask (extending to nape side), grey to bluish-grey crown, nape and upperparts ; upperwing black, conspicuous broad white band across primaries (near base), tail black, outer feathers tipped white , outer two feather pairs entirely or almost entirely white; chin and throat white, underparts pinkish-white  , undertail-coverts white; iris brown or dark brown; bill black; legs blackish. Distinguished from L. excubitor and L. meridionalis mainly by more compact shape (shorter tail, shorter bill), longer wings, more black on forehead, lack of pale supercilium, little or no white on scapulars, from former additionally by pinkish (not pure white) underparts. Female  is similar to male but slightly duller, facial mask greyer or browner, especially on forehead, next-to-outermost tail feather (T5) with more black (nearly 93% of 72 females had black spot on T5, 67% of 97 males lacked spot). Juvenile is pale brownish-grey above, finely and rather indistinctly barred brown (feathers with darker subterminal band), with quite long black-brown patch on ear-coverts, whitish tips of scapulars (can form pale patch on folded wing), wing feathers tipped buffish, primary patch as adult’s, underparts creamy or off-white, sometimes faint bars on flanks, bill flesh-grey at base; first-winter plumage similar to adult but duller, often tinged browner above, with forehead greyish (not black), wing and tail as juvenile, sometimes a hint of faint barring above and/or below. Race turanicus is larger and paler than nominate, and upperparts of immature and first-winter rather brownish-buff, less greyish.

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Open habitat with plenty of scattered or grouped trees, and fewer bushes; requires presence of features offering perches , shade and accessible food. Breeding habitats in Europe include extensively managed orchards, potato, beetroot and melon fields, and tobacco fields, as well as vineyards and meadows; tall trees necessary for nesting. Prefers open or disturbed lowland and hilly areas to 700 m, rarely to 900 m in C Europe; to 1500 m in Russia, and even up to 2200 m in Kazakhstan. Need for drier and sunnier conditions than those tolerated by other European shrikes possibly connected with more specialized diet of large insects. In S African non-breeding quarters inhabits semi-arid savanna and thornveld; Kalahari region in Botswana holds locally dense population, mainly in dry acacia (Acacia) thornbush country and open acacia parkland.

Long-distance migrant, entire breeding population wintering in S Africa  (within a range five times smaller than breeding range), from extreme S Angola and Namibia E to S Mozambique and parts of N South Africa. Those breeding in NW China may even travel nearly 12,000 km to Namibia. In autumn, birds from W of range initially head SE through Greece and Aegean Sea, all populations entering Africa on narrow front, principally through Egypt and Arabian Peninsula. Movement begins late Jul and Aug in C & W Europe, passage reaching peak in second half Aug; crosses Aegean Sea up to end Sept and Egypt to late Nov, arriving in winter quarters from late Oct (Zimbabwe) to late Nov (South Africa ). Some pass over high-lying terrain, E birds recorded at up to 3400 m. Return migration in spring along similar route but a little farther E, e.g. in Zimbabwe E of c. 30° E (W of this longitude in autumn); starts late Mar, main passage in Zambia first half Apr, main exodus apparently via E Africa, Ethiopia and Somalia and continuing through Middle East. In C Europe (Slovakia), earliest arrival on breeding grounds in late Apr to mid-May, sometimes when still winter conditions there; arrival in W Siberia mid-May. Vagrants recorded in e.g. Scandinavia  , Britain, Ireland, Channel Is (Jersey, Alderney), Heligoland, W & NW Africa and offshore islands, C Siberia (Mirnoye), Pakistan, Aldabra and Madagascar.

Almost exclusively insectivorous , but spiders (Araneae) also consumed; vertebrates such as small mammals or birds taken only very rarely. Prefers mostly larger insects  such as crickets (Gryllidae), mole-crickets (Gryllotalpidae) and other Orthoptera , and larger beetles (Coleoptera), average body length of prey reaching 22·7 mm in some studies, but eats caterpillars also; beetles mainly coprophagous scarabaeids and zoophagous carabids, and diet dominated by cockchafers (Melolontha melolontha) during outbreaks of this scarabaeid. Of 1382 prey items in C Slovakia, 99·8% were invertebrates (of 92 species), of which 28·2% crickets, 18·2% scarabaeids, 18·3% carabids, 11·9% grasshoppers (Acrididae) and bush-crickets (Tettigoniidae), and 5·9% lepidopteran larvae. Usually forages alone, or pair-members feed in close proximity. Uses sit-and-wait foraging technique, utilizing variety of lookout perches 2–15 m above ground, e.g. wires  , fence lines, tree branches , very occasionally houses or other buildings; most insects taken on the ground, in fine weather also caught in air (slow-flying ones, e.g. bibionid flies, cockchafers). Very often hovers in manner of a kestrel (Falco), much more so than any other European shrike; also hops on ground like a wheatear (Oenanthe), particularly in wet weather. Rarely impales prey  , although some individuals do so more regularly; during temporary increases in food supply, however, may keep larders more frequently and impale items even on unusual substrates.

Territorial calls are long series of “djejek-dschejek-dschijek…”, “kerrib-kerrib…”, “tschertscherb, tschertscherb…” or “tschilip-tschilip…”, often given during display-flights. Aggression calls include “keeee” or “rrrre”; alarm a repeated “kshek”, “gä” or “geer”; “krett” note described as contact, and begging call (female and young) “gäh-gäh…” or similar. Male song, used in intrasexual displays and courtship by unmated males without territory during breeding season or during non-breeding, consists of mixture of fluting warbles and harsh chatters, usually introduced by characteristic “krjé”, and incorporating songs of wide range of other species e.g. from finches (Fringillidae), larks (Alaudidae) and tits (Paridae) to waders (Charadriiformes) and partridges (Phasianidae), and even crow (Corvidae) calls and barking of dogs; similar to but somewhat louder than that of congeners.

Laying May to early Jun (in C Europe, mean 17th-19th May), replacement clutches to early Jul; one brood. Monogamous; territorial, but breeds often in loose groups, with recorded maximum of 4 pairs/ha in traditionally farmed orchard. Nest  built by both sexes, a well-made structure  with loose foundation of twigs, grass, rootlets, string, etc., often with high proportion of green plants (especially aromatic species), lined with rootlets, feathers and hair, occasionally unlined, placed on lateral branch of tree, usually fruit tree or poplar (Populus), at 2·5–20 m but generally high above ground (mean of 401 nests in C Europe 8·5 m); territory size 2·9–14 ha. Clutch 3–7 eggs , mainly 5–6 (no known geographical variation in clutch size), pale bluish-green, with olive-brown spots concentrated toward broad end, eggs laid one daily; size of replacement clutches significantly smaller than first ones; incubation by female, fed on and away from nest by male, period 14–16 days; chicks  brooded by female, fed by both sexes, nestling period 14–19 days, mostly 16–18 days; young independent 2–3 weeks after fledging, but remain with parents for c. 2 months or longer. Breeding success relatively high in optimal condition, e.g. 4·9–6 young fledged from each of 117 nests in C Europe; rarely, seven chicks raised from single brood. First breeding at 1 year.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally common to rare. Maximum of 320,000 breeding pairs thought to occur in Europe, with strongholds in Russia and Turkey (each with up to 200,000 pairs) and Romania (up to 70,000); from roadside counts in S Africa, total world population in mid-1990s estimated at 5,000,000–7,000,000 individuals. Decreasing trends reported in Europe, and now extinct in many countries of N, W & C Europe, e.g. last bred in Belgium in 1930, in Luxembourg in 1930s, in Germany (in S) in 1980s, in Switzerland mid-1980s, in Czech Republic in 1990s, and in Poland (SE) in early 1990s; only small population remaining in Austria (4–10 pairs in extreme E), and only isolated populations (up to 30–50 pairs) survive in Spain (where species now listed as Critically Endangered) and France. Range contraction towards SE combined with decline in numbers in most European countries evidently part of longer-term trend apparent since middle of 19th century and later, during 1970–1990, affecting up to 30% or more of European population. Few data on status of populations farther E, in Asia, but seems to be fairly common. First breeding record in Iraq in 2012 (1 Porter, R.F. (2016). First breeding record of Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in Iraq. Sandgrouse. 38(1): 71–72. Close ). Protected in most countries; in some listed as “highly endangered”, in others regarded as “vulnerable” or “endangered”. Heavy use of fertilizers since middle of 20th century has led to increase in vegetation cover, causing wetter and colder micro-climate close to soil, this, in turn, having negative effect on the large arthropod fauna on which this species relies. It would benefit from a decrease in use of agricultural pesticides and from the maintenance of traditional farming methods, with old orchards.