Butcher-bird

Quiet, gray skies. The temperature a few degrees above freezing. I hiked the western edge of the natural lands, following game trails through the tall prairie grasses, enjoying the chance to wander a bit. As I passed a small oak tree, I noticed a vole dangling from the branches. Here was evidence that the Northern Shrikes have arrived. These birds nest in the far north at the border of taiga and tundra, then migrate south to over-winter. This bird is sometimes referred to as the Butcher-bird because of its habit of impaling its prey on tree spikes or wedging the prey between branches.

Approximately thirty years ago, snowshoeing at Maplewood State Park, I found a White-footed Deer Mouse wedged in the branches of a basswood tree. I remember how surprised I was to find it there. I examined the frozen body and placed it back in the tree. At the time I assumed it was an owl or some odds-defying drop from a hawk passing overhead. Now I recognize it as the work of the butcher-bird.

The Northern Shrike preys upon song birds in addition to mice and voles. The following observation made by a resident of Hutchinson, Minnesota, is found in The Birds of Minnesota (1932): "I saw a Northern Shrike eating a Horned Lark. When flushed it flew to a near-by tree-top. The Lark was stuck on a stick of willow bush and the Shrike watched me while I was examining the partly eaten bird. When I returned a half-hour later I found that the bird had returned and eaten all but the intestines."

Posted on November 3, 2017 03:01 AM by