Red-backed Shrike

Description:

Measuring 17 cm in length, the red-backed shrike is slightly larger than a house sparrow. Males are easily recognisable by their striking appearance. They have a bluish-grey head, black eye mask, chestnut coloured back, black tail framed with white, salmon pink underparts and a hooked black bill. Females and juveniles do not have the black eye mask of the male and are dull brown; juveniles also have bars on their back. The voice includes a harsh 'chack chack' alarm call, and males produce a sustained warble in which the songs of other bird species are copied

Habitat:

This bird breeds in most of Europe and western Asia and winters in tropical Africa. The bird is listed as a "least concern" (LC) species on a global scale, but some parts of its range have seen a steep decline in numbers, so locally its status can be less secure.

Notes:

A male red-backed shrike in Stavropotamos (Kastoria, Greece). Greek name: Αετομάχος ο ερυθρόνωτος. Greek common name: Αετομάχος.