It mostly catches large insects and other animals without backbones. Sometimes it also hunts small animals with backbones, including lizards and rodents. It often watches for prey from a spot with a good view, then catches it on the ground or in the air. Sometimes it pins its prey on a thorn. This helps it divide large prey into pieces and store food.
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio
Listen to the voice
Giorgi Natsvlishvili · GoriGeorgia field photo
The Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) breeds and migrates through Georgia. Photo-backed iNaturalist records occur across the country; the map highlights regions with records in the records table.
Key facts in one look
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird / migrant
- Length
- About 17 cm
- Habitat
- Open ground with shrubs
- Diet
- Insects / small vertebrates
- Global status
- Least Concern
The red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) is a small bird in the shrike family. According to 2024 records, it nests in Georgia and is also seen there during migration. It was recorded in Lagodekhi Reserve between 2000 and 2004. People have also seen and photographed it in other parts of Georgia. It is about 17 cm long. An adult male has a grey head, a black mask-like stripe around the eyes and a chestnut back. Females and young birds are much browner. It chooses open areas with shrubs and branches from which it can look around. It spends the winter in Africa. Globally, it is considered to be at low risk of extinction.
Identification
Red-backed Shrike: how to identify it
This shrike is about 17 cm long. Its strong beak has a hooked tip. The male has a grey head, a black stripe across the eye and a chestnut-brown back. Females and young birds are browner and speckled, so identifying them takes more care.
The adult male has a gray upper head and neck, a black “mask” around the eye, and a chestnut-colored back. Its underside is pale. The tail is dark, with white visible along the sides. The tip of its strong beak curves like a hook.
The female is brown on top. She may have fine, dark lines on her breast and sides that look like scales. Young birds have these markings over more of their bodies. A bird may still belong to this species even if it lacks the male’s bright colors.
The red-headed shrike (Lanius senator) has been confirmed in Georgia. Adults have a reddish-brown top of the head and noticeable white patches on the wing. Male common shrikes have a gray head and a chestnut-brown back. Young shrikes are hard to tell apart by color alone, so look at several features together.
Often confused with
In Georgia, this bird is found during the breeding season and while migrating. It is also listed among the birds of Lagodekhi Reserve for 2000–2004. The records selected for the map include at least one sighting from each of the 12 regions. This confirms that the bird has been seen in every region, but it does not mean it is evenly distributed throughout each region or nests in all of them. It is usually found in open or partly open areas with shrubs, hedges and woodland edges. It often builds its nest in thorny bushes. When hunting, it perches at a raised lookout, such as the top of a bush or a wire, and uses nearby open ground.
Recorded (photo observations)field records
The map shows public, photo-backed observations of the Red-backed Shrike in Georgia. Records whose coordinates are obscured, too approximate or do not match the stated place are left out. A shaded region does not mean the shrike occurs evenly across the whole region. Record counts do not show how many shrikes live in a given place.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
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- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
Its calls are often sharp and raspy. It sings more softly, imitating the sounds of other birds. It travels long distances and spends the time when it is not nesting in Africa south of the Sahara. It is not a typical winter bird in Georgia.
Globally, this species is assessed as having a low risk of extinction. In other parts of its range, the loss of open areas with shrubs and a decline in insects are considered threats.
Giorgi Natsvlishvili · birdyday · James Heal · Giorgi Rizhvadze · xoltc11 · Alexander Korobeynikov · Anton Mirmar · Katherine · Denis Severin
Related guides
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Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Red-backed Shrike.
Yes. According to the 2024 national list, it nests and is also seen during migration. It is also included in the 2000–2004 list for Lagodekhi Nature Reserve.
It is found in open and partly open areas with shrubs, along forest edges, and in fields bordered by hedges. The map’s table has records for all 12 regions, but a single marked location does not show that it occurs throughout a region or nests there. There is also an old record from Lagodekhi Nature Reserve.
It nests in Georgia and can also be seen passing through during migration. The warm months and migration periods are good times to look for it. It spends the winter in Africa, south of the Sahara.
The male has a grey head, a black stripe by the eye and a chestnut-brown back. The female is brown, often with fine, dark, scale-like lines on her underside.
An adult bird is generally about 17 cm long. This is not an average measured separately in Georgia.
It mainly catches large insects and other animals without backbones. Sometimes it also catches small animals with backbones. It may attach its prey to a thorn and eat it later.
Globally, this species is considered to face a low risk of extinction.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
