Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitor
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyLaniidae (Shrikes)
- GenusLanius (Typical Shrikes)
- SpeciesLanius excubitor (Great Grey Shrike)
The great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) is a large and predatory songbird species in the shrike family (Laniidae). It forms a superspecies with its parapatric southern relatives, the Iberian grey shrike (L. meridionalis), the Chinese grey shrike (L. sphenocerus) and the American loggerhead shrike (L. ludovicianus). Males and females are similar in plumage, pearly grey above with a black eye-mask and white underparts. Breeding takes place generally north of 50° northern latitude in northern Europe and Asia. Most populations migrate south in winter to temperate regions. The great grey shrike is carnivorous, with rodents making up over half its diet. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Cévennes National Park
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio
Iberian Grey Shrike
Lanius meridionalis
Woodchat Shrike
Lanius senator
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Great Tit
Parus major
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapilla
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Great Grey Shrike at Cévennes 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
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 6 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 9 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 11 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 15 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 16 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 17 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 19 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |