Brown Shrike

Latin Name: 
Lanius cristatus
Category: 
Size: 
19cm
Description: 

Uniformly rufousbrown upperparts; black band through the eye with a white brow over it. Pale creamy underside with warmer rufous flanks; rufous tail. Wings brown without any white ‘mirror’. Female has faint scalloping on the underside. Solitary; keeps lookout from conspicuous perch or tree stump for prey on the ground, often returning to the same perch after hunting; territorial.

Habitat: 
open country, cultivation, forest edges, scrub, gardens.
Food: 
insects, lizards, small rodents.
Distribution: 
winter visitor to peninsular India.
Call: 
Call Description: 
harsh chattering; grating call; sometimes sings in a low chirruping tone with its bill closed.
National Status: