Butcher Bird

Yesterday morning, at Dodge Nature Center, we spotted a gray and black bird sitting on top of one of the bluebird houses. It looked a little like a gray jay, but they don't live this far south. That's when we realized we had a shrike - aka, the butcher bird. Minnesota gets both the northern and loggerhead species, so it took awhile to figure out which we were seeing. Our bird had a black eye mask that meets over the bill. The bill was black above and lighter gray below. Those characteristics identified this bird as the northern shrike. It's nicknamed the butcher bird because it takes its prey (usually small birds) and impales them on branches or wire fencing. I'll have to keep my eyes open for shrike signs around the nature center.

This picture is showing a shrike I spotted in my backyard several years ago. But it's the same as the one we spotted today.