Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) is a small but fierce predator. It’s not just an insect-eater — it will hunt small vertebrates like frogs, lizards, and even tiny birds! When a Brown Shrike catches a frog, it often kills it quickly with sharp pecks. If the prey is too large or squirmy, the shrike may impale it on a thorn or barbed wire to hold it steady while tearing it apart — earning shrikes the nickname "butcher birds." Brown Shrikes migrate from breeding grounds in Asia (like Siberia, Mongoli

Captured on camera 📸 A great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) perched surveying the landscape at one of our North-East Suffolk reserves! Great grey shrikes visit our shores in fluctuating numbers over the winter (varying between 40-90 birds on average) as their migration pattern depends greatly on the availability of food closer to their nesting sites. Also known as ‘butcher birds’, shrike are notorious for impaling their prey on sharp thorns to help keep it still whilst they eat, and even impale