Brown Shrike

Lanius cristatus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Tangkoko Nature Reserve

4 Verified sightings at Tangkoko Nature Reserve From 2019 to 2026

6,308 Verified sightings across all 44 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Brown Shrike

The brown shrike (Lanius cristatus) is a bird in the shrike family that is found mainly in Asia. It is closely related to the red-backed shrike (L. collurio) and isabelline shrike (L. isabellinus). The genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The specific cristatus is Latin for "crested", used in a broader sense than in English. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc, "shriek", referring to the shrill call.

Like most other shrikes, it has a distinctive black "bandit-mask" through the eye and is found mainly in open scrub habitats, where it perches on the tops of thorny bushes in search of prey. Several populations of this widespread species form distinctive subspecies which breed in temperate Asia and migrate to their winter quarters in tropical Asia. They are sometimes found as vagrants in Europe and North America.

In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the brown shrike in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Crested Red, or Russit Butcher... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tangkoko Nature Reserve

Dicrurus hottentottus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

LC Endemic

Scissirostrum dubium

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

LC Endemic

Hypothymis azurea

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Trichastoma celebense

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

LC Endemic

Streptocitta albicollis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

LC Endemic

Dicaeum celebicum

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Passer montanus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Oriolus chinensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

NT Endemic

Geokichla erythronota

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

LC Endemic

Dicaeum aureolimbatum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Lonchura atricapilla

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Pycnonotus aurigaster

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~40%
2	Wilpattu National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~30%
3	Sinharaja Forest Reserve	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~30%
4	Periyar National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
5	Khao Yai National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~20%
6	Minneriya National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~20%
7	Mudumalai National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
8	Horton Plains National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	~20%
9	Kanha National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
10	Eravikulam National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
11	Nagarhole National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
12	Kaziranga National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
13	Cat Tien National Park	🇻🇳 Vietnam	~10%
14	Bandhavgarh National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
15	Kaeng Krachan National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~10%
16	Khao Sok National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~10%
17	Sundarbans National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
18	Doi Inthanon National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	~10%
19	Chitwan National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~10%
20	Bandipur National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
21	Cuc Phuong National Park	🇻🇳 Vietnam	~10%
22	Manas National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
23	Keoladeo National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
24	Royal Bardia National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~10%
25	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	<5%
26	Royal Manas National Park	🇧🇹 Bhutan	<5%
27	Way Kambas National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
28	Khao Luang National Park	🇹🇭 Thailand	<5%
29	Satpura National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
30	Gunung Leuser National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	<5%
31	Taroko National Park	🇹🇼 Taiwan	<5%
32	Namdapha National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
33	Taman Negara National Park	🇲🇾 Malaysia	<5%
34	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
35	Danum Valley Conservation Area	🇲🇾 Malaysia	<5%
36	Sepilok	🇲🇾 Malaysia	<5%
37	Khangchendzonga National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
38	Jiuzhaigou National Park	🇨🇳 China	Insufficient data
39	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
40	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	Insufficient data
41	Gir National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
42	Kerinci Seblat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
43	Tangkoko Nature Reserve	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
44	Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary	🇲🇾 Malaysia	Insufficient data

← Back to Tangkoko Nature Reserve

Brown Shrike

About the Brown Shrike

Closest Relatives at Tangkoko Nature Reserve

Hair-crested Drongo

Finch-billed Myna

Black-naped Monarch

Sulawesi Babbler

White-necked Myna

Grey-sided Flowerpecker

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Black-naped Oriole

Rusty-backed Thrush

Yellow-sided Flowerpecker

Chestnut Munia

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found