loggerhead shrike

noun

1. a common, North American shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, gray above and white below with black wings, tail, and facial mask.

Word History and Origins

Origin of loggerhead shrike¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

The fire also swept through parts of the island that have rare habitats for sensitive plant and animal species found nowhere else, such as the endangered San Clemente loggerhead shrike, a carnivorous songbird.

From Los Angeles Times

You have just imitated a hunting loggerhead shrike, long considered one of North America’s more ghoulish songbirds for the way it impales its prey carcasses on thorns and barbed wire.

From Washington Post

In the sagebrush, he found a loggerhead shrike, green-tailed towhee and prairie falcon.

From Washington Times

On a less positive note, northern bobwhite, American kestrels and loggerhead shrikes continued to decline in most regions.

From Washington Times

Lynch says researchers are monitoring 10 loggerhead shrikes that recently hatched.

From Washington Times