BROWN SHRIKE Lanius cristatus
Photo by Trinket Constantino
Quezon City
November 2017
“…she expertly laid out the snake (Calamaria gervaisii – Gervais’ worm snake) by its long side, its skin shredded as it caught on the rose thorns. Pretty soon it had clearly skinned the little snake, and could now easily tear it up into bite-sized pieces.Wonderful backyard natural history in action.” – Trinket
The arrival of the Brown Shrikes, locally called tarat, herald the migration season in the Philippines. For this issue’s Bird of the Moment, Trinket shares her photo of their backyard Brown Shrike living up to its reputation as “butcher bird.” The backyard Brown Shrike has been an annual visitor in their Quezon City home and she and Adri document and write about its interesting, and sometimes gruesome, behavior. Read the full article Trinket wrote on her blog HERE.