Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: LANIIDAE Shrikes
Scientific name: Lanius schach
English name: Long-tailed Shrike
Characteristic: "Size 20 cm. A medium-sized ,big -headed bird with slighly hooked beak and long tail; underpart reddish brown with gray 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 white 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 gray forehead; also with white lores lores and paler reddish brown wings and back"
Distribution: "Assam , southern China, Myanmar , Thailand ,Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam."
Habitat: "Dry dipterocarp foreest, scrub forest , open forest,open field, paddy field and other agricultural areas. In Sakaerat forest , it inhabits clearings and grass fields among 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 n winter . It is a protected wild animal according to local wildlife law."
