
Species of Thailand
Bay-backed shrike
Thai: นกอีเสือหลังแดงตะโพกเทา, nok e-seua lang daeng taphok thao
Binomial name: Lanius vittatus, Achille Valenciennes, 1826
The bay-backed shrike (Lanius vittatus) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes, resident in South Asia.
Description
It is smallish shrike at 17 cm, maroon-brown above with a pale rump and long black tail with white edges. The underparts are white, but with buff flanks.
The crown and nape are grey, with a typical shrike black bandit mask through the eye. There is a small white wing patch, and the bill and legs are dark grey.
Sexes are similar, but young birds are washed-out versions of the adults.
Habits and habitat
The bay-backed shrike has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude perched on a bush, from which it sallies after lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents.
Prey may be impaled upon a sharp point, such as a thorn. Thus secured they can be ripped with the strong hooked bill, but its feet are not suited for tearing.
It is a widespread resident breeder in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and has recently been recorded from Sri Lanka. It nests in bushes in scrubby areas and cultivation, laying 3-5 eggs.
This article uses material from Wikipedia released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike Licence 3.0. Eventual photos shown in this page may or may not be from Wikipedia, please see the license details for photos in photo by-lines.
Scientific classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Laniidae
- Genus
- Lanius
- Species
- Lanius vittatus
Common names
- Thai: นกอีเสือหลังแดงตะโพกเทา, nok e-seua lang daeng taphok thao
Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

- Ban Lat District, Phetchaburi
- Laem Pak Bia
Range map of Lanius vittatus in Thailand
Important note; our range maps are based on limited data we have collected. The data is not necessarily accurate or complete.
Special thanks to Ton Smits, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Ian Dugdale and many others for their contribution for range data.
Contribute or get help with ID
Please help us improving our species range maps. To add a new location to the range map we need a clear image of the specimen you have encountered. No problem if you do not know the species, we will do our best to identify it for you.
For the location, please provide the district name or the national park/ wildlife sanctuary name.
Please post your images to our Thai Species Identification Help group on Facebook.