| Shrike, San Clemente loggerhead | |||
| Genus | Lanius | ||
| Species | ludovicianus | ||
| Subspecies | mearnsi | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Habitat | This shrike lives on San Clemente Island, off the coast of southwestern California. The island is about 34 km long and 2.4 to 6.4 km wide. The shrike is found in the island's washes, ravines and mesas, where there are scattered tall bushes or low thorny scrub and cactus patches. The bird requires such dense tall brush or low tree growth for roosting and nesting. | ||
| Distribution | USA (California) | ||
| Appearance | This bird is medium-sized, slightly smaller than a robin. It is gray above, white below and on the rump, with a black mask over its eyes. The wings and tail are black, and each has patches of white. The average length is 224 mm, and the average wing length is 97.64 mm | ||
| Behavior | These shrikes have a headquarters in their territory where the roosting place or nest is located. This area has lookout perches, feeding areas, and brushy growth for shelter at night. For roosting, these birds like supports above the ground near a screen of overhanging branches. These areas can be easily spotted by conspicuous fecal deposits. | ||
| Diet | Insects, arthropods, small reptiles, birds, mammals | ||
| Feeding |
Shrikes hunt late in the evening and early in the morning. They will live on the most abundant and readily available supply of animal food they can find. In hunting, they perch on objects above the ground where prey can be easily seen. Or they will hop about in search of animals. If they cannot catch any prey within a minute or two, it will move on to another part of the territory. Rarely they will capture insects in the air.
Dead prey is then impaled on a thorn, twig, splinter, or other sharp structure, and eaten almost immediately. If the shrike is hungry when prey is killed, it eats all it can, as much as 7 grams. The remainder is left hanging so it can be eaten later. The shrike will not eat dry or spoiled food. | ||
| Breeding |
It is unknown whether the male mates on the female's territory or the female mates on the male's territory, but is probably the former.
These birds like dense bushes or small, thickly grown trees at medium heights to make their nests in. The nests themselves are made of dry twigs, weed stems, and grasses, lined with rootlets and sheep's wool, and are well concealed in thick bushes. Eggs are dull white, light neutral gray, or buff in color, covered with small spots of neutral gray, yellowish brown, and umber. Eggs are laid in February. Young are usually found out of the nest at the end of March. The female incubates the eggs by herself, but is fed by the male while she performs this task. Young remain in the nest for twenty days, and parents continue to feed them until the 35th day. Some birds raise two broods in a single season. | ||
| Gestation | 16 days (incubation) | ||
| No. of Young | 5-6 eggs | ||
| Conservation | San Clemente Island, on which the shrike lives, is overrun by goats who eat most of the native vegetation. The only practical thing to do for the preservation of the loggerhead shrike would be to remove or confine these livestock and permit regrowth of dense patches of tall brush. Replanting of native woody species would also help rehabilitation. | ||
| Animal Communication Panel | |||
