The Butcher Bird

Tenerife has a relatively small avian population, one of the interesting birds on the island is the Great Grey Shrike, or to give it its proper name, Lanius excubitor.

The bird is about the size of a black bird, and has gained the nick name of the ‘butcher bird’. This bird is classed as a ‘songbird’ and can be seen perched on tree branches and telegraph wire high above the ground looking for food. It can also be seen hovering in flight for up to 20 minutes.

It gets its nickname from its peculiar behaviour after it has caught its prey. If the prey is too large to eat in one, it will carry it to a feeding place where it will impale it on a thorn or barbed wire. After being impaled the prey will be ripped to pieces and consumed.

Surplus food will be impaled and stored on thorn ‘larders’, kept over a meter off the ground within the birds territory. It is this behaviour that has led to the bird being labelled the’ butcher bird’, as it hangs up its food just like a butchers shop hangs its meat.

These birds can often be seen on Tenerife in the Mount Teide National park, catching insects, mice, lizards and small birds.

The Great Grey Shrike (Butcher Bird)