| Red-tailed shrike | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Laniidae |
| Genus: | Lanius |
| Species: | L. phoenicuroides |
| Binomial name | |
| Lanius phoenicuroides (Schalow, 1875) | |
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Breeding range of Lanius (isabellinus) phoenicuroides Breeding range of Lanius isabellinus Overwintering range | |
The red-tailed shrike or Turkestan shrike [2] (Lanius phoenicuroides) is a member of the shrike family (Laniidae). It was formerly considered conspecific with the isabelline shrike and the red-backed shrike.
The plumage is a sandy colour. It has a red tail. [3]
The red-tailed shrike breeds in south Siberia and Central Asia.
This migratory medium-sized passerine eats large insects, small birds, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a larder. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with thorn bushes.