Page 20 - Abacoa Community News - March '25

Page 20, Abacoa

Tax Talk from page 19

tax, tangible personal property tax, and motor vehicle
registration. You can also surrender your license plate.
Using the drop box is twice as fast as mail and is checked
multiple times per day!
To use the drop box, you will need to visit one of our
service centers during our business hours (Monday through
Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.), check in with our team at the
reception desk to ensure you have what you need and then
you are good to go – no reservation required! For more
information about the services that are drop box eligible,
visit www.pbctax.gov/resources/payment-options/.
Northern Notes

Loggerhead Shrikes – like tree snags (dead trees), where they can perch high up to the pesticide cannot be properly used, check with your solid
NPDES tip: Safely use and dispose of pesticide. If all of
look for prey.
Nature’s Butcherbird These vicious, intelligent, ruthless birds are amazing waste management authority to find out when and where to
animals in our area. Next time you see a gray and white bird, properly dispose of this type of hazardous waste.
By Katie Roundtree, look closely and see if it might be nature’s butcherbird. Photos by Lucas Shaffer, NPBCID Environmental Manager
Director of Finance and
Administration, Northern
Palm Beach County
Improvement District
The Loggerhead Shrike
is a gray and white bird that
resembles a Mockingbird
at first glance. Both are
types of songbirds with a
similar overall gray, black
and white pattern and are
about the size of a cardinal
or robin. The shrike has
blacker wings, a larger
head, a black mask, and a
heavy, hooked bill, unlike
mockingbirds that have
grayer wings, a smaller
head and a thinner bill.
The Loggerhead Shrike’s
black mask acts like the
black paint athletes wear to
keep the sun’s glare from
impeding eyesight.
Where they truly stand
out is in their unique hunting techniques. The shrike, a
carnivorous bird, has a preference for lizards, bugs, and small
animals, unlike the seeds and berries that mockingbirds enjoy.
Their hunting style is both fascinating and terrifying for their
prey. Shrikes hunt from above, diving down to snatch their
prey in their hooked bill. The upper part of the shrike’s hooked
bill features a pair of built-in projections called “tomial teeth.”
These specialized “teeth” are used to dispatch rodents by
striking the nape of the neck, instantly paralyzing them, and
then shaking them with enough force to break their necks. They
are quick and efficient hunters, earning them the nickname
“butcherbirds.” Their genus name, Lanius, is derived from
the Latin word “butcher.” Shrikes can also hover over prey,
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
These remarkably intelligent birds then impale their prey
on barbed wire, thorns, tree branches, or other sharp objects
to immobilize and kill it, if their beak hasn’t already done the
job. This practice, akin to a human’s pantry or larder, also helps
them store food for days if food is scarce. A large pantry can
serve to attract mates or feed juveniles. This practice can also
help remove toxins, making the prey safe to eat after a few
days. For instance, impaling a toxic monarch butterfly helps
break down toxins, making it safe to eat after a few days.
Another reason for their macabre tendency to impale their
prey is due to their tiny feet and legs. Their beak and hunting
abilities are similar to hawks and falcons, but their passerine
feet are similar to songbirds and can only perch on branches
instead of using them like hawks and falcons to rip and tear.
The barbed wire and sticks hold the prey in place so the shrike
can eat it. Don’t judge their feet too quickly, though; shrikes
have been known to carry prey the same size as themselves.
Loggerhead Shrikes are typically found in open areas
with scattered shrubs and trees, but the species can also be
found in more heavily wooded habitats with large openings
and very short habitats with few or no trees. They particularly