Shrikes are also known as butcher-birds, as they often impale their prey on large thorns while they dismember it. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc, "shriek", referring to the shrill call. Shrikes – passerine birds of the family Laniidae – are robust, starling-sized birds, with stout, hooked bills, and strong feet. They are all predatory, taking a range of large insects and small birds, mammals and lizards. The family is composed of thirty-one species in three genera.
See also: Bay backed shrike, Brown shrike, Loggerhead shrike, Long tailed shrike, Long tailed fiscal shrike, Magpie shrike, Red backed shrike
