A late spring and early autumn passage migrant. Shrikes are known as 'Butcher birds' because of their habit of killing large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, as well as small birds, reptiles and mammals - and then impaling them on fences and thorns to form a larder of food. The female is rather plain reddish-brown, while the male has a striking black and grey highwayman's mask. It is seen sitting on trees, bushes and fences.
