Woodchat Shrike

Lanius senator

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Laniidae Genus: Lanius

About

The woodchat shrike (Lanius senator) is a member of the shrike family Laniidae. 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 senator is Latin for "senator", so-named because its chestnut cap recalled the colour of the stripe on the toga of a Roman senator. The common name "Woodchat" is an Anglicisation of German waldkatze, literally "woodcat",...