Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio

(L. c. kobylini)

Armenian Name:	Ժուլան

See Plate 42 for Red-backed Shrike and other similar species

Resident Status:	Breeding bird
Abundance:	Common
Length:	17 cm, Wing Span:24-27 cm
Distribution Map:	Map 224.
Description:	Thick hooked bill, short wings, and brown or black tail.
Adult:	Male: blue-gray head, black mask, red-brown back, pink-white underparts. Female: brown above with grayer nape and darker brown mask. Underparts off-white scalloped with gray.
Juvenile:	Dull brown above with grayish nape, and extensive scalloping above and below.
Similar Species:	Differs from Isabelline Shrike (see Plate 61) by shorter brown or black tail, reddish-brown mantle, and lack of whitish wing patch in females and juveniles.
Behavior:	Perches on tops of trees, shrubs, power poles. Makes short flights between perches.
Habitat:	Scrubby grasslands.
Food:	Invertebrates, small vertebrates.
Nest:	Loosely woven cup of plant material in thorny shrub or small tree.
Eggs:	22 mm, 3-7, gray-white to pink, brown and gray-violet spots.