Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Scientific name definitions

17–20 cm; male 27–34 g, female 28–37 g. A medium-sized shrike with rather large head . Male nominate race has black facial mask from lores back to rear ear-coverts, broad white supercilium; lower forehead buffish-white, becoming dull brown on forecrown, rufous-brown crown to nape, very slightly duller russet-brown upperparts, but rump and uppertail-coverts a little brighter (as crown); upperwing dark brown, wing-coverts and inner flight-feathers fringed whitish; tail dull rufous, outer feather pair edged and tipped paler; throat white, underparts whitish with pale rufous wash, undertail-coverts pale brownish-grey; iris brown; bill and legs black or blackish. Female is very like male, and sometimes identical, but generally supercilium creamy-tinged, dark mask slightly less distinct in loral area, and side of breast and flanks with fine dusky vermiculations; in non-breeding season bill usually duller, with pinkish base. Juvenile has supercilium duller and blurred, facial mask brown and less extensive, top of head and upperparts rufous with heavy cinereous-brown barring, upperwing brown, wing-coverts, secondaries and tertials fringed rufous-buff, tail as in adult, throat whitish, cheek and underparts buff with heavy dark vermiculations, centre of belly to vent usually plain. Races differ mainly in plumage coloration and pattern: <em>confusus</em> is very similar to nominate, but male has upperparts somewhat paler and greyer and pale band on forehead broader, female has pale rufous upperparts; superciliosus is distinctive, brighter than others, male has wider white band on forehead merging with broad white supercilium, strongly contrasting jet-black mask from bill base to near nape, bright rufous crown, nape and upperparts, wing edgings rufous (not buff or whitish), sometimes a very small white patch at base of primaries, underparts more orange-tinged, female duller than male, with white frontal band and supercilium narrower, never has pale primary patch, flanks paler and slightly vermiculated; <em>lucionensis</em> also is distinctive, much greyer than others and with narrower supercilium, male has light grey crown and nape, brownish-grey upperparts except for russet-brown rump and uppertail-coverts, buff belly and flanks to undertail-coverts, female somewhat paler than male, has mask blackish-brown (not jet-black), supercilium less distinct.

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• Tiger x Brown Shrike (hybrid) Lanius tigrinus x cristatus

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Generally in open areas with bushes and scattered small trees, but variable; sometimes in urban parks. Nominate race breeds mainly in taiga, tundra forest and tundra edge, in bogs and boggy meadows with scattered trees, often in burnt areas, in Kamchatka in grassland with larches (Larix), coastal grassland with scattered alders (Alnus) or dwarf pines (Pinus) or willow (Salix) thickets, or edges of birch (Betula) woods; in S of range also in steppe-like habitats (especially along river valleys). Found also in tropical forest and edge in China (race lucionensis). In S Ussuriland, confusus prefers unwooded areas around lower rivers in coastal plain, and occurs also along upper rivers. Race superciliosus breeds mostly in grassland with scattered deutzia shrubs (Deutzia), or coastal thin oak (Quercus) woods, or farmland with hedges; in Japan, found only in open land on Hokkaido, where exhibits rather strict habitat preferences, but in C Honshu breeds also in residential area, using shrubs (e.g. Vitis coignetiae, Malus baccata etc.) for nesting. Breeds from sea-level to low mountains, to 1800 m in Altai region of S Siberia; to c. 450–650 m in Kamchatka; in Japan, to 1400 m in C Honshu but mainly in coastal areas on Hokkaido. In non-breeding quarters occurs in open lowlands with cultivations, forest edge, clearings, scrubland, grassy hillsides with scattered bushes and small trees.

Nominate race, confusus and superciliosus migratory; lucionensis partially migratory. Migration routes poorly known, but non-breeding grounds situated in C & S parts of Indian Subcontinent E to Myanmar and Malay Peninsula (nominate race), extending S to Sundas; race confusus seems to spend non-breeding season in S Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, and superciliosus migrates to S China, Hainan, SE Asia (mainly Indochina), Sumatra, Java and WLesser Sundas. Race lucionensis apparently resident in S Korea and probably E China, but most of population migrates to non-breeding grounds in coastal SE China, Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Sulawesi (mostly N), less frequently Moluccas (vagrant Halmahera and Seram). Rare vagrant to Europe , mainly late Sept–early Nov, totalling 30 records up to 2014 (2 Gerritsen, W., Ernens, E.A.W. and Schwartz, R. (2015). Bruine Klauwier in Azewijnsche Broek in januari-mei 2014 [Brown Shrike at Azewijnsche Broek in January-May 2014]. Dutch Birding. 37: 229–233. Close ).

Diet mainly insects, also other arthropods and small vertebrates. Orthoptera and beetles (Coleoptera) usually main prey; vertebrates taken are mostly small mammals, lizards, amphibians, and small passerine birds (including nestlings). On Sakhalin I, stomachs contents of ten individuals revealed remnants of Orthoptera, various beetles i.e. Pterostichus (ten items), Dytiscus, Silpha perforata (three), Phosfuga atrata, Xylodrepa sexcarinata (six), Necrophorus, a curculionid, and Geotrupes laevistriatus, also three bumblebees (Bombus), three wasps (Vespula), a lacertid lizard, and a frog; pellets contained the weevil Byrsopages sachalinensis (nine), a Vespula wasp, ants (Formicidae), Lepidoptera larvae, and a lizard. Items delivered to nestlings included spiders (Araneae), insects, vole and lizard; in another nest, main prey items delivered were spiders (36·8%), beetles (27%), and adult and larval Lepidoptera (13·9%). In S Ussuriland, main prey during summer were large grasshoppers, but adults also hunted frogs and nestlings of Chestnut-eared Bunting (Emberiza fucata). On Hokkaido (race superciliosus), arthropods constituted 99% of prey delivered to nestlings (Lepidoptera larvae 33·1%, Orthoptera 24·1%, Arachnoidea 20·5%); food remnants in nests consisted of beetles (Silpha, Scarabaeidae, Harpalidae, Elateridae, Carabidae including Carabus conciliator), also Vespa pacifica, and bumblebees; impaled prey of a pair in breeding season were scarabeid beetles (of genus Anomala), Hymenoptera, and Locusta migratoria; adult seen to take juvenile Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala). Uses low hunting perches, 1–3 m (mostly below 2 m) high, from which swoops or sallies for prey; most prey caught on ground. Regularly caches food.

Male song a repeated trilling “jun-jun-jun” and/or “kichi-kichi-kichi” and/or “gey, gey, gey” as it moves around tops of trees; male imitates songs and calls of other birds, e.g. Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus), Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) and White-cheeked Starling (Sturnus cineraceus). During mate attraction, male pursues female while uttering trilling subsong. Female calls “jih-jih-jih”, like begging call of nestling, with wing-fluttering.

Laying from Jun in Siberia and S Ussuriland, from end May on Sakhalin and in Amurland, and from May in E China; in Japan laying from late May to Jun; single brood. Nest built by both sexes, mostly by female, work taking less than one week, an open cup made from twigs, grass stalks, rootlets, dry leaves and moss, lined with hair and fine grass, in S Ussuriland outer wall chiefly of bark fibres and inner part of thin dry grasses, outer diameter 11·5–13 cm, height c. 10·5–12 cm, internal diameter 6·5–8 cm and depth 4·5 cm; placed 6–9 m (exceptionally, to 18 m) above ground in tree or tall bush, but in N & E of range (nominate race and confusus) usually lower, below 3 m, sometimes even on ground in grass or among leaves, e.g. nest of confusus at base of solitary shrub in grassland. Clutch 3–8 eggs, usually 4–6, from reddish-white with fine reddish-brown spots to greenish or buffish with brown, grey and/or purple spots; replacement clutch laid if first attempt failed during laying or incubation stages; incubation by female, fed on nest by male, period 12–16 days, mostly 12–14 days (mean 12·8 days on Hokkaido); chicks fed by both parents, nestling period 13–16 days, mostly 14–15 days; young remain near nest for minimum of 2 weeks after fledging. Nests parasitized by Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) and Horsfield’s Cuckoo (Cuculus horsfieldi); e.g. 5% of pairs on Hokkaido thus parasitized. On Hokkaido, mean hatching success 87·8–100%, and of 19 failed nests twelve (63%) were preyed on and seven (37%) were deserted; nesting success decreased annually, from 75% in 1992 to 56% in 1993, 55% in 1994, 50% in 1995 and 29% in 1996.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Few data on population levels. Possibly fairly common in much of range; uncommon to rare in Japan. No information on current status of nominate race and confusus. In Japan, race superciliosus has declined drastically, and may even be in danger of extinction: on Hokkaido, populations of this race declined by c. 80% during period between 1973–74 and 1990, also decreased by 67% over the four years 1993–1996 at one site (Ishikari), declined by 86% near Sapporo and by 50% in C Hokkaido, and became extinct at two sites; in C Honshu, population on Nobeyama plateau was between 50 and 60 pairs, but declined to 20 individuals in 1998, and then remained stable at fewer than ten individuals, but in 2005 no pair bred, and at other sites (Akita, Miyagi, Gunma, Tokyo, Tochigi, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka) numbers gradually declined over c. 10 to 30 years since late 20th century. Status of race <em>lucionensis</em> in Japan uncertain; local on Kyushu, and apparently bred in Daito Is (Kita-daito and Minami-daito) in the past, but shrike population on those islands from middle 1970s to late 1980s identified as L. bucephalus; further reserarch required on current breeding distribution of lucionensis in Sea of Japan and elsewhere. Known to occur in several protected areas in non-breeding range, from Kaziranga and Nagarhole National Parks, in India, E to Cat Tien National Park, in Vietnam.