Page 10 - Jupiter Ocean Mile - March '25

Page 10, Jupiter Ocean Mile
Northern Notes

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