Bay-backed Shrike

The bay-backed shrike is a smallish shrike about 17cm long, maroon-brown above with a pale rump and a long black tail edged white. The crown and nape are grey, there is the typical black shrike mask through the eye, and it has a small white wing patch. The underparts are white with buff flanks, and the bill and legs are dark grey. The sexes are similar, and young birds are washed-out versions of the adults (Wikipedia, general species account).

It perches upright on a bush and sallies after lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents. Prey may be impaled on a thorn so it can be torn apart with the strong hooked bill, since its feet are not built for tearing. It nests in bushes in scrub and cultivation, laying three to five eggs. SoIB 2023 lists it as resident in India with local movements and a very large range, estimates a long-term decline of about 54% with a stable current trend, and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).