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Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2005 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Not Recognised |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Low |
| Land mass type | Average mass | 60.4 g |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 34,200,000 | |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 34,200,000 | |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Stable | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 4 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: Rich et al. (2004) estimated the global population to number 1,000,000 individuals. In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 250,000-400,000 breeding pairs, equating to 750,000-1,200,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). Europe forms 5-24% of the global range, so a very preliminary revised estimate of the global population size is 3,130,000-24,000,000 individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. The population in Russia has been estimated at c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.50-1,000 individuals on migration (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: This species has had stable population trends over the last 40 years in North America (data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Albania | Native | No | |||
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Andorra | Native | No | |||
| Armenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Austria | Native | No | |||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bahrain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bangladesh | Native | No | |||
| Belarus | Native | No | |||
| Belgium | Native | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | |||
| Brunei | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | Native | No | |||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Canada | Native | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cyprus | Vagrant | No | |||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | |||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Djibouti | Native | No | |||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | Vagrant | No | |||
| Eritrea | Native | No | |||
| Estonia | Native | No | |||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gambia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Georgia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ghana | Vagrant | No | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Hungary | Native | No | |||
| Iceland | Vagrant | No | |||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Iraq | Native | No | |||
| Ireland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Israel | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Japan | Native | No | |||
| Jordan | Native | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | |||
| Kuwait | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Kyrgyzstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Native | No | |||
| Lebanon | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Liechtenstein | Native | No | |||
| Lithuania | Native | No | |||
| Luxembourg | Native | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Malta | Vagrant | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mexico | Unknown | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mongolia | Native | No | |||
| Montenegro | Native | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Nepal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Netherlands | Native | No | |||
| Niger | Native | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| North Korea | Vagrant | No | |||
| Norway | Native | No | |||
| Oman | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | Native | No | |||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Native | No | |||
| Poland | Native | No | |||
| Portugal | Native | No | |||
| Qatar | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Romania | Native | No | |||
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | |||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | |||
| Saudi Arabia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Senegal | Native | No | |||
| Serbia | Native | No | |||
| Slovakia | Native | No | |||
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Somalia | Native | No | |||
| South Korea | Vagrant | No | |||
| South Sudan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Spain | Native | No | |||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Sudan | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | Native | No | |||
| Syria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Tajikistan | Native | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | Yes | ||
| USA | Native | No | |||
| Uzbekistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Western Sahara | Native | No | |||
| Yemen | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Allentsteig military training area |  |
| Finland | Lemmenjoki-Hammastunturi-Pulju | |
| Luxembourg | Region of Junglinster | |
| Luxembourg | Region of Mompach, Manternach, Bech and Osweiler | |
| Luxembourg | Valley of the Attert | |
| Russia (European) | Bryansko-Zhizdrinskoye woodland | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert | Hot | suitable | non-breeding |
| Desert | Hot | suitable | breeding |
| Forest | Boreal | suitable | non-breeding |
| Forest | Boreal | suitable | breeding |
| Forest | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Forest | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | suitable | non-breeding | |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | suitable | breeding | |
| Savanna | Dry | major | non-breeding |
| Savanna | Dry | major | breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Freshwater Springs and Oases | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Freshwater Springs and Oases | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 2800 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Lanius excubitor. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Laniidae (Shrikes) |
| Species name author | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 34,200,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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