Lesser Grey Shrike
Lanius minor
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyLaniidae (Shrikes)
- GenusLanius (Typical Shrikes)
- SpeciesLanius minor (Lesser Grey Shrike)
The lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor) is a passerine bird in the shrike family Laniidae. It breeds in South and Central Europe and western Asia and migrates to winter quarters in southern Africa in the early autumn, returning in spring. It is a scarce vagrant to western Europe, including Great Britain, usually as a spring or autumn erratic. It is similar in appearance to the great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) and the Iberian grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis); both sexes are predominantly black, white and grey, and males have pink-flushed underparts. It is slightly smaller than the great grey shrike, and has a black forehead and relatively longer wings. This species prefers dry open lowlands and is often seen on telephone wires. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Addo Elephant National Park
Southern Fiscal
Lanius collaris
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
Cape Wagtail
Motacilla capensis
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Cape Crow
Corvus capensis
Pied Crow
Corvus albus
Bokmakierie
Telophorus zeylonus
Sombre Greenbul
Andropadus importunus
Southern Boubou
Laniarius ferrugineus
Fiscal Flycatcher
Sigelus silens
Greater Double-collared Sunbird
Cinnyris afer
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Lesser Grey Shrike at Addo Elephant National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there