Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Long-tailed Shrike/Rufous-backed Shrike/Rufous-rumped Shrike/දික්පෙඳ සබරිත්තා/ගුරු ඇස්පටියා[Dikpendha Sabariththa/Guru Aespatiya] (Lanius schach)

Rather uncommon breeding resident distributed mainly in the North and North-western dry and arid zones. Rare in the North-central region. It inhabits open country, forests and scrub lands, often as pairs or as solitary birds. It usually perches on an exposed branch of a bush or a post and catches its prey on air. Long-tailed Shrike feeds mainly on insects such as grasshoppers and beetles . But also catch small lizards, frogs and sometimes nesting birds. The breeding season lasts from February to June. The nest is a cup made out of grasses, creeper-stems, rootlets, etc. placed often in  thorny Acacias where it lays 2-4 eggs

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