Great Gray Shrike

Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitor) is a member of the family Laniidae - the shrikes. It has pearl gray upperparts and white underparts slightly tinged with gray. It has a stripe above the eye and the cheeks and chin are white. The deep black streak extends from the forehead, through the eye, to the ear coverts. Its bill is nearly black. Female’s underparts are grayer and are faintly barred with grayish brown.

Great Grey Shrike feeds on lizards, mice, shrews and birds.

The bird can be spotted in the Hemis High Altitude National Park, Jammu and Kashmir.