Brown Shrike
Lanius cristatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyLaniidae (Shrikes)
- GenusLanius (Typical Shrikes)
- SpeciesLanius cristatus (Brown Shrike)
The brown shrike (Lanius cristatus) is a bird in the shrike family that is found mainly in Asia. It is closely related to the red-backed shrike (L. collurio) and isabelline shrike (L. isabellinus). The genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The specific cristatus is Latin for "crested", used in a broader sense than in English. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc, "shriek", referring to the shrill call. Like most other shrikes, it has a distinctive black "bandit-mask" through the eye and is found mainly in open scrub habitats, where it perches on the tops of thorny bushes in search of prey. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park
Northern Shrike
Lanius borealis
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Poecile rufescens
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Brown Shrike at Olympic 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