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Victoria Tsai, Ho-Ho-Kus Public School

Bergen County

Image of Loggerhead shrike. Bergen County.Loggerhead shrike. Bergen County. Victoria Tsai

Loggerhead Shrike

SHRIEK! Yep, that's the sound of my voice. My species is called Lanius ludovicianus migrans, more commonly known as the Loggerhead Shrike. I am the size of a robin. All the birds of my species have a grey head, black masked eyes, and a white throat and back. I use my hooked beak to break the spine of my prey, and impale it on anything sharp. Humans nicknamed me, "Butcher Bird." This is what I do to ensure my meal does not wiggle away. We mostly consume insects, but find grasshoppers irresistible. When they are scarce, I'll devour smaller birds, tiny snakes, lizards, and frogs.

Loggerhead Shrikes live in the open countryside where there are short grasses, pastures, weedy fields, swampy thickets, orchards, and right of way corridors. We perch on hedgerows, scattered trees, shrubs, utility wires and fence posts. The nests we make are often in trees or shrubs bearing thorns like Hawthorns, Osage Orange, Multiflora Rose, and Red Cedar. In mid-April, females lay 5-6 eggs. These offspring will be ready to breed by the following April.

Habitat loss is now a big problem. Places we live are being used for building human structures or they have matured into denser forests. Small farms, pastures, and hedgerows have become more difficult to find. Pesticides, particularly DDT, have poisoned our prey and environment. Those contaminants are also poisoning our adults and young, and even our eggshells are thinning. These tragedies have caused our population to plummet. In 1987, our species was listed as endangered in New Jersey.

We, the Loggerhead Shrikes, can help naturally control insect populations if you, the people, help stop habitat destruction and the use of many pesticides. Please help save our species. If we work together, New Jersey can be a nicer place for everyone to live!

Written by: Victoria Tsai

Ho-Ho-Kus Public School, Ho-Ho-Kus

Teacher: Ms. Lepori