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Long Tailed Shrike


Long Tailed Shrike
Photo Information
Copyright: Victor Mukherjee (vmukherjee) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 200 W: 0 N: 113] (1046)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-01-08
Categories: Birds
Camera: Olympus Sp 510uz
Exposure: f/4, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2008-01-22 6:55
Viewed: 698
Points: 16
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Long-tailed Shrike or the Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes. The eastern or Himalayan race, L. s. tricolor, is sometimes called the Black-headed Shrike.

It is a common resident breeder throughout the Indomalayan ecozone from Kazakhstan, through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indian peninsula except eastern states, to New Guinea, found on bushes in scrubby areas and cultivation. Winter visitor to southern areas such as southeast India and Sri Lanka.

It has some resemblances to the grey shrikes, such as the Southern Grey Shrike, Lanius meridionalis, sharing the pearl grey head and mantle and black mask extending from the forehead, through the eye, to the ear coverts. An eastern race found in Bhutan to Arunachal Pradesh, sometimes called the Himalayan L. s. tricolor, has a black head extending from the eye mask to the whole crown and nape.

It is small for a grey shrike, but has a very long tail with rufous edges. The underparts are white, but with rufous flanks. The bill and legs are nearly black.

This bird has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude perched on a bush, from which it sallies after lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents.

Prey may be impaled upon a sharp point, such as a thorn. Thus secured they can be ripped with the strong hooked bill, but its feet are not suited for tearing.

Its flight is undulating, but its dash is straight and determined.

This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe on the strength of a single accepted British record on South Uist in November 2000. It has also occurred as a vagrant to Japan, Oman, Israel, Hungary and Turkey.
CeltickRanger, nirmalroberts, pankajbajpai has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Victor,
Yes, you are correct in that the race of schach in Assam would be tricolor. Tricolor has an entirely black head. So, your bird is not a L. schach sensu stretto. Your bird is the sometimes associated with schach, but usually considered a separate species Lanius tephronotus (Grey-backed Shrike).

Hi Victor,

Good composition of Shrike perched at wild plant there. Sharp that shows the detail of plumages color pattern. Good DOF but the background is noisy - can be reduce with software.
cheers,
/Tabib/.

hello Victor

good shot with a excellent focus and
a great light on the foreground of the image,
i love the POV of your image and the way the bird
and the tree branch is framed on the image, TFS

Asbed

Hi Victor,
Nice capture. Good composition and beautiful pose by the bird. Lighting is very good. TFS.
- Nirmal

Hi,
excellent POV,colors and exposure,TFS
Rishabh

hello victor,
nice to see your work here which has got a great variety from spiders to birds to water lilys to landscape, finely composed shot of the shrike,the shine in the eyes looks nice here,
thanks a lot for visiting my gallery,
warm reagrds
pankaj

Hello Victor,
very nice composition, wonderfull colours, great lighting eand excelelnt background,
cheer,
friendly,
Pat

Great capture of the shrike! I find the local shrikes here to be difficult to approach, so I am impressed with your photo. I like the strong diagonal presented by the branch and the shrike's very dynamic pose as he looks back over his shoulder at you!

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