Grey-backed Shrike

Lanius tephronotus (Vigors, 1831)

Grey-backed Shrike, Lanius tephronotus, is a shrike of the Himalayas and central China, breeding across the Palearctic and moving south into South-East Asia outside the breeding season. It was first described by Vigors in 1831 and belongs to the family Laniidae. It is a long-tailed bird, and the two recognised subspecies differ in tone and bill strength, with lahulensis paler and smaller-billed than the nominate form. It nests in high mountain clearings, meadows and open slopes with bushes or small trees, and in winter uses lower valleys, plains, gardens and abandoned fields.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Laniidae — Shrikes

Breeding range

Palearctic: Himalayas, c China

Nonbreeding range

se Asia