Northern shrike
| Northern shrike | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | L. borealis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lanius borealis | |
The northern shrike (Lanius borealis) is a large songbird species in the shrike family (Laniidae) native to North America and Siberia. Long considered a subspecies of the great grey shrike, it was classified as a distinct species in 2017. Four subspecies are recognised.
In a 2010 study of mitochondrial DNA, Olsson and colleagues found that the northern shrike was most closely related to the southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis), and the two formed a clade along with the [[Chinese grey shrike and loggerhead shrike.[1]
Subspecies
East Eurasian group
- Lanius excubitor sibiricus – eastern Siberia to northern Mongolia
- Browner above than excubitor, distinct but delicate banding below. Some white on primary bases only.
- Lanius excubitor bianchii – Sakhalin and possibly southern Kuril Islands
- Smaller and paler than sibiricus, banding below pale and indistinct. Some white on primary bases only.
- Lanius excubitor mollis – Russian Altai Mountains, north western Mongolia
- Browner than sibiricus above, banding below well-developed. Little white on primary bases.
- Lanius excubitor funereus – Tian Shan and western China
- Large; quite dark and brownish, below bluish-grey with almost black banding. Little white on primary bases.
North American group
- Lanius excubitor borealis – Hudson Bay region of Ontario and Quebec
- Similar to excubitor, but darker with faint barring below. John James Audubon called this subspecies the great American shrike in his book Birds of America.
- Lanius excubitor invictus – northern Alberta west to northern Alaska, perhaps also Chukchi Peninsula region in extreme north east Siberia
- Larger and paler than borealis, paralleling homeyeri compared to excubitor.
References
- ^ Olsson, Urban; Alström, Per; Svensson, Lars; Aliabadian, Mansour; Sundberg, Per (2010). "The Lanius excubitor (Aves, Passeriformes) conundrum—Taxonomic dilemma when molecular and non-molecular data tell different stories" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55 (2): 347–357.