Brainerd, Minn. – Don't be fooled by its robin-like size — the northern shrike is a songbird that kills for a living.
If that's not odd enough, instead of using powerful feet and needle-sharp talons to subdue its quarry, as hawks and other birds of prey do, the northern shrike employs its strong, hawklike beak in lethal ways.
What's more, shrikes are also known for impaling their prey on a thorn, stick, or barbed wire fence, much like a butcher hangs a slab of beef. There is a reason it is often referred to as the butcher bird. Often a shrike kills more than it can eat and will cache its prey by hanging it. On lean days it feeds from its larder.
A shrike kills by biting through the neck or by repeated blows to the head with its powerful beak. A shrike doesn't have long, sharp talons and muscular feet to hold its kill while it eats. Impaling prey allows the shrike to readily dismember it into bite-sized pieces
Northern shrikes are cautious birds and usually don't allow humans a close approach. I only had a few distant photos of the birds after many attempts because they are so wary. But my luck changed a few years ago.
On a cold and clear January morning, I had a ringside seat and was able to watch a northern shrike capture and kill a vole. The shrike then flew to a low branch where it neatly prepared a rodent shish kebab on a pointed stick.
I was disappointed when the shrike flew away, but I assumed the bird would soon revisit its meal. Sure enough, within a few minutes the hungry predator returned and landed on its prey. I photographed the shrike as, unperturbed, it ate the vole.
I have seen shrikes kill a number of birds and small mammals over the years, and on numerous occasions I've found their prey hanging from shrubs and fences. But since that encounter I have been unable to repeat that memorable experience.