Daurian/Turkestan Shrike sp.
Lanius isabellinus/phoenicuroides Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833 / (Schalow, 1875)(0, 1)
Photo © Rob Stonehouse
STATUS
Palearctic. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
Formerly known as Red-tailed Shrike and Isabelline Shrike. Taxonomy is complex.
1950-57 record
1). 1950 Isle of May No locality, adult male, 26th September.
(A. G. S. Bryson, Scottish Naturalist 63: 59; W. B. Alexander, British Birds 44: 217; W. U. Flower & M. I. Kinnear, British Birds 44: 218-219; BOURC (1956), Ibis 98: 154; P. A. Fraser, M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 100: 93).
History A. G. S. Bryson (1951) in the Scottish Naturalist, Vol. LXIII. p. 59, says: 'One on 26th September 1950. Details will be published in British Birds.'
W. B. Alexander (1951) in British Birds, Vol. XLIV. p. 217, says: 'Last September Miss Winifred Flower and Miss M. I. Kinnear observed at the Isle of May a shrike which did not appear to resemble any of the species described in The Handbook.
Full details, together with field sketches, were forwarded to Oxford and were seen by the late B. W. Tucker, who accepted the record as referring to the Isabelline Shrike, Sir Norman Kinnear has compared this material with specimens in the British Museum and confirms the identification.'
W. U. Flower & M. I. Kinnear (1951) in British Birds, Vol. XLIV. pp. 218-219, say: 'On September 26th, 1950, while observing migrant birds on the Isle of May, we saw a shrike fly into a walled garden near the lighthouse. The bird was about the size of a Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) and of strikingly pale colouring. The shrike was watched for a total of about 1½ hours, mostly in very good light, at a range down to 20 feet, through coated lens binoculars 9 x 35.
Description: - Upper-parts: narrow black line across forehead. Crown pale rufous (matching withered burdock on which it perched), paling to warm buff at nape and hind neck. Mantle and back pale greyish-buff, scapulars pale buff, rump and upper tail-coverts rufous, of a deeper tone than crown. Sides of head: lores, feathers round eye and ear-coverts intense black, continuous with forehead line. Supercilium cream. Chin and all under-parts conspicuously white, tinged pale pinkish buff on upper part of flanks. Tail-feathers appeared uniformly russet. Primaries pale brown, with outstanding white patch at base, forming prominent bar when wing spread. Secondaries pale brown with lighter edges. Bill and legs appeared black or dark grey. There were no crescentic bands or any other markings on the upper or under surfaces, and no black or white on the back, rump or tail.
Behaviour. The bird's carriage and movements were typical of a shrike. When not resting with head sunk between shoulders, or turning watchfully from side to side, it made repeated hops to the ground from its burdock perch, or short sallies from the wall. It was seen to take food from the ground, including a large earth worm. The bird could be watched easily, since it was unperturbed by a fairly close approach. No sounds were heard.
A south-east wind on September 24th had changed to a northerly gale on the 25th, and diminished to a milder north-west wind on September 26th. Very few migrants were on the island on September 23rd, but a few came in on both September 24th and 25th, including a Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) among other warblers. We were unable to identify the shrike while on the island, since its colouring was different from any plumage of the shrikes described in The Handbook.
Comparison of field notes and sketches with skins in the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, and with the plate and description in Dresser's Birds of Europe, leads to the conclusion that the bird we saw was an adult male, in full winter plumage, of the Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus).'
Admitted nationally in their First Report as the first for Britain (BOURC (1956) Ibis 98: 154).
