Northern Shrike
Northern Shrike has held roughly steady: up 1% on the route-weighted index since 1985.
About the Northern Shrike
The Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis) is a North American member of the Shrikes (Laniidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the grassland birds.
- Size
- 8–10 in long (20–25 cm) — a songbird-sized predator (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Seeds and insects gathered from grasses and the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 29 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Laniidae · Grassland birds
Notable Northern Shrike Trends
No notable trend signals for Northern Shrike. See the full index history below.
Northern Shrike Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Northern Shrike is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.00). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±68%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Where the Northern Shrike Is Detected
BBS routes recording Northern Shrike, sized by most recent count.
Northern Shrike Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -64% | 1985 | 29 |
Northern Shrike Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -27% | 1991 | 10 |
| BCR 4 | -83% | 1986 | 13 |
Northern Shrike Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index has held roughly steady since 1985. 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.