Burmese Shrike (Lanius collurioides)
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: LANIIDAE Shrikes
Scientific name: Lanius collurioides
English name: Burmese Shrike
Characteristic: Size 20 cm. A medium-sized, big-headed bird with slightly hooked beak and long tail; upperpart reddish brown with grey patches present on crown, nape to upper back; a conspicuous black eye band; reddish brown wings with a small white patch at bases of primaries which is quite clearly visible in flight; underpart pale brown to almost white; tail long and black with outer feathers white. A male has black forehead, while a female has grey forehead; also with white lores and paler reddish brown wings and back.
Distribution: Assam, Southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Habitat: Dry dipterocarp forest, scrub forest , open forest, open fields, paddy fields and other agricultural areas. In Sakaerat forest, it inhabits clearings and grass fields in the dry dipterocarp forest.
Habit: Seen in Sakaerat area in early wintering months as a seasonal visitor; mostly a solitary hunter, perching quietly on branches and tops of bushes in the clearings, keeping its shap eyes on insects and small animals, such as frogs, small reptiles, that it will plunge down to catch on the ground. Its cup-shaped nest is usually placed in bushes or in small trees.
Status: This shrike is both a resident and a non-breeding migrant, which is common in Sakaerat area, especially in clearings and grass fields in dry dipterocarp forest in winter. It is a protected wild animal according to local wildlife law.
