Loggerhead Shrike
Loggerhead Shrike has fallen sharply: down 74% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Loggerhead Shrike
A masked, predatory songbird of open country, the Loggerhead Shrike impales prey on thorns and barbed wire and has declined across much of its range.
- Size
- 8–9 in long, about 1.7 oz (20–23 cm, 48 g)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Large insects, small mammals, reptiles and birds, often cached on thorns.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,122 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 42 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Laniidae · Grassland birds
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
Notable Loggerhead Shrike TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
Loggerhead Shrike has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 74% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Loggerhead Shrike Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Loggerhead Shrike is projected to fall about 80% by 2029 — from 0.53 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.11 (95% range 0.00–0.47). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±52.9%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Loggerhead Shrike Is Detected
BBS routes recording Loggerhead Shrike, sized by most recent count.
Loggerhead Shrike Population Trend by State
Loggerhead Shrike Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Loggerhead Shrike Conservation Status
Near Threatened
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Near Threatened. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 74% since 1968. Grassland birds are North America's steepest-declining group, down roughly 50% since 1970 as prairie and pasture were lost.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.