Adin Vella

Great Grey Shrike breeds in semi-open or open habitats in subarctic and temperate climates with scattered trees, bushes, fence-posts and powerlines, forest edges and clearings in the N, sometimes marshland and peat bogs. Non-breeding habitats are similar. Its wide distribution covers most of Europe E to C Siberia, C & S Asia, N Africa & the Middle East (Yosef et al. 2020). The European strongholds are in Fennoscandia & CE Europe (Keller et al. 2020). It is an intra-Eurasian migrant, with winter quarters generally S of the breeding sites. 

Season of assessment

B

Population trendDecreasing
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		128000-250000,175000
Red List categoryLC
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for Great Grey Shrike

The general movement pattern in migratory populations is NE-SW. The N European populations migrate furthest; the S birds are partial migrants or sedentary. Birds breeding in Fennoscandia migrate SW to overwinter in C & W Europe; a bird marked in Finland has been found wintering in Greece. C European breeders also move SW, making within-region or short-distance movements to neighbouring regions in W & SC Europe. W European population undertakes short-distance movements with no prevailing direction. During recent decades increasing numbers of birds have remained in S Fennoscandia and Poland in winter (Yosef et al. 2020).

The encounters within SW Europe pertain to the Southern Grey Shrike, which is currently considered a separate species (Lanius meridionalis).

Recoveries by Condition for Great Grey Shrike

Great Grey Shrikes are recovered throughout the year, with a peak in Oct (~22%). C, W & N Europe hold the bulk of encounters (~80% in total, 34, 24 and 22% respectively). Recoveries of dead birds have decreased from 74% before1961 to 6% after 1991; those of live birds increased from 22% before 1961 to 94% after 1991. Shooting was an important factor in the past, with 32% of total recoveries before 1961, mainly in France and N Italy. Nowadays, most of the recoveries are of live birds either recaptured by ringers or resighted.

Annual Movements for Great Grey Shrike

Post-breeding dispersal starts as early as Jul, more often in Aug, with most autumn movements in Sep-Oct. N European breeders take SW & S routes towards W, C, SC and even SE Europe where they are encountered as early as Sep (the Low Countries), but mostly from Oct-Mar, sometimes even Apr. The C European population migrates short distances, mainly SW, with encounters within the region or in W & SC Europe (France and N Italy, Sep-Feb). There is no breeding population in the British Isles but some birds from the Low Countries, Denmark and Scandinavia are encountered there in winter (Nov-Apr). A bird wintering on the Polish Baltic Sea Coast was encountered during the breeding season in eastern France.

Spring migration takes place mainly during Mar-Apr.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Great Grey Shrike

Autumn movements are evident from late summer, with pronounced migration in early to mid-autumn. The population breeding in N Europe migrates SW & S, reaching primarily W & C Europe, sometimes as far as SE Europe - encounters are mainly between mid-autumn and early spring, with some late migrants recorded in mid-spring. Those C European breeders which migrate mostly move SW, either staying in the same region or moving to the neighbouring regions of W & SC Europe. Some birds from around the N Sea (S Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Low Countries) overwinter in the British Isles. Breeding sites are usually re-occupied in early to mid-spring.

In some populations, mainly females migrate (Harris, Franklin, 2000).

Bird numbers in wintering areas fluctuate, some birds undertake hard-weather movements (Cramp, Perrins, 1993).

Boris Nikolov

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries
References Map
1993 . The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 7. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, New YorkEditor(s): Cramp, S., Perrins, C.
2020 . European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Bird Census Council & Lynx Edicions, BarcelonaEditor(s): Keller, V., S. Herrando, P. Voříšek, et al.
Harris, T., Franklin, K. 2000 . Shrikes & Bush-shrikes: Including wood-shrikes, helmet-shrikes, flycatcher-shrikes, philentomas, batises and wattle-eyes. Christopher Helm, A & C Black, London
Yosef, R., ISWG International Shrike Working Group, C. J. Sharpe, J. S. Marks, and G. M. Kirwan2020 . Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitor), version 1.0. In Birds of the World Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.norshr1.01) Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA

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