Great Gray Shrike
Great Gray Shrike
Here the details of the Great Gray Shrike named bird below:
SCI Name:
Protonym: Lanius excubitor Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.94
Taxonomy: Passeriformes / Laniidae / Lanius
Taxonomy Code: norshr1
Type Locality: Europe, restricted to Sweden (Hartert, 1907, Vog. pal. Fauna, 1, (1910), p. 418).
Author: Linnaeus
Publish Year: 1758
IUCN Status: Least Concern
DEFINITIONS
LANIUS
(Laniidae; Ϯ Great Grey Shrike L. excubitor) L. lanius butcher < laniare to tear to pieces. The shrikes were formerly known as ‘butcher-birds,’ from their habit of storing prey by impaling it on thorns and sharp twigs, giving the resemblance to a butcher’s shambles or slaughterhouse (Mod. L. Lanius (Ray 1713) shrike, butcher-bird); “I reject the compound-name of Butcher-Bird, and retain the old English name of Shrike, from the noise” (Pennant 1773). In nomenclature lanius is used in a variety of combinations for birds with stout, hooked or toothed bills or with the general appearance of a shrike; "43. LANIUS. Rostrum rectiusculum, dente utrinque versus apicem, basi nudum. Lingua lacera." (Linnaeus 1758); "Lanius Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 93. Type, by subsequent designation, Lanius excubitor Linnaeus (Swainson, 1824, Zool. Journ., 1 (1825), p. 294)." (Rand in Peters 1960, IX, 342). This is the fourth diagnosed genus in avian taxonomy. Linnaeus's Lanius comprised ten species (L. cristatus, L. Excubitor, L. Collurio, L. Tyrannus, L. Carnifex, L. Schach, L. Senator, L. cærulescens, L. jocosus, L. Garrulus).
Var. Lanii, Larius.
Synon. Caudolanius, Cephalophoneus, Collurio, Creurgus, Enneoctonus, Fiscus, Lanioides, Leucometopon, Neolanius, Neofiscus, Otomela, Phoneus.
lanius
L. lanius butcher < laniare to tear to pieces.
excubitor
L. excubitor, excubitoris sentinel < excubare to keep watch < cubare to lie down.
● ex “Lanius cinereus major” of Aldrovandus 1599, and Willughby 1676, “Greater Butcher-bird” of Ray 1713, and “Ampelis cærulescens, alis caudaque nigricantibus” of Linnaeus 1746 (according to Linnaeus 1758, the Great Grey Shrike watches for the approach of hawks and warns other small birds (Swedish Varfågel watchbird). However, Newton & Gadow 1896, wrote, “L. excubitor, derives its trivial designation from the use made of it as a sentinel by falconers when catching wild Hawks”) (Lanius).
SUBSPECIES
Great Gray Shrike (Great Gray)
SCI Name: Lanius excubitor [excubitor Group]
LANIUS
(Laniidae; Ϯ Great Grey Shrike L. excubitor) L. lanius butcher < laniare to tear to pieces. The shrikes were formerly known as ‘butcher-birds,’ from their habit of storing prey by impaling it on thorns and sharp twigs, giving the resemblance to a butcher’s shambles or slaughterhouse (Mod. L. Lanius (Ray 1713) shrike, butcher-bird); “I reject the compound-name of Butcher-Bird, and retain the old English name of Shrike, from the noise” (Pennant 1773). In nomenclature lanius is used in a variety of combinations for birds with stout, hooked or toothed bills or with the general appearance of a shrike; "43. LANIUS. Rostrum rectiusculum, dente utrinque versus apicem, basi nudum. Lingua lacera." (Linnaeus 1758); "Lanius Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 93. Type, by subsequent designation, Lanius excubitor Linnaeus (Swainson, 1824, Zool. Journ., 1 (1825), p. 294)." (Rand in Peters 1960, IX, 342). This is the fourth diagnosed genus in avian taxonomy. Linnaeus's Lanius comprised ten species (L. cristatus, L. Excubitor, L. Collurio, L. Tyrannus, L. Carnifex, L. Schach, L. Senator, L. cærulescens, L. jocosus, L. Garrulus).
Var. Lanii, Larius.
Synon. Caudolanius, Cephalophoneus, Collurio, Creurgus, Enneoctonus, Fiscus, Lanioides, Leucometopon, Neolanius, Neofiscus, Otomela, Phoneus.
Great Gray Shrike (Sahara)
SCI Name: Lanius excubitor [elegans Group]
LANIUS
(Laniidae; Ϯ Great Grey Shrike L. excubitor) L. lanius butcher < laniare to tear to pieces. The shrikes were formerly known as ‘butcher-birds,’ from their habit of storing prey by impaling it on thorns and sharp twigs, giving the resemblance to a butcher’s shambles or slaughterhouse (Mod. L. Lanius (Ray 1713) shrike, butcher-bird); “I reject the compound-name of Butcher-Bird, and retain the old English name of Shrike, from the noise” (Pennant 1773). In nomenclature lanius is used in a variety of combinations for birds with stout, hooked or toothed bills or with the general appearance of a shrike; "43. LANIUS. Rostrum rectiusculum, dente utrinque versus apicem, basi nudum. Lingua lacera." (Linnaeus 1758); "Lanius Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 93. Type, by subsequent designation, Lanius excubitor Linnaeus (Swainson, 1824, Zool. Journ., 1 (1825), p. 294)." (Rand in Peters 1960, IX, 342). This is the fourth diagnosed genus in avian taxonomy. Linnaeus's Lanius comprised ten species (L. cristatus, L. Excubitor, L. Collurio, L. Tyrannus, L. Carnifex, L. Schach, L. Senator, L. cærulescens, L. jocosus, L. Garrulus).
Var. Lanii, Larius.
Synon. Caudolanius, Cephalophoneus, Collurio, Creurgus, Enneoctonus, Fiscus, Lanioides, Leucometopon, Neolanius, Neofiscus, Otomela, Phoneus.
Great Gray Shrike (Arabian)
SCI Name: Lanius excubitor aucheri/buryi
LANIUS
(Laniidae; Ϯ Great Grey Shrike L. excubitor) L. lanius butcher < laniare to tear to pieces. The shrikes were formerly known as ‘butcher-birds,’ from their habit of storing prey by impaling it on thorns and sharp twigs, giving the resemblance to a butcher’s shambles or slaughterhouse (Mod. L. Lanius (Ray 1713) shrike, butcher-bird); “I reject the compound-name of Butcher-Bird, and retain the old English name of Shrike, from the noise” (Pennant 1773). In nomenclature lanius is used in a variety of combinations for birds with stout, hooked or toothed bills or with the general appearance of a shrike; "43. LANIUS. Rostrum rectiusculum, dente utrinque versus apicem, basi nudum. Lingua lacera." (Linnaeus 1758); "Lanius Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 93. Type, by subsequent designation, Lanius excubitor Linnaeus (Swainson, 1824, Zool. Journ., 1 (1825), p. 294)." (Rand in Peters 1960, IX, 342). This is the fourth diagnosed genus in avian taxonomy. Linnaeus's Lanius comprised ten species (L. cristatus, L. Excubitor, L. Collurio, L. Tyrannus, L. Carnifex, L. Schach, L. Senator, L. cærulescens, L. jocosus, L. Garrulus).
Var. Lanii, Larius.
Synon. Caudolanius, Cephalophoneus, Collurio, Creurgus, Enneoctonus, Fiscus, Lanioides, Leucometopon, Neolanius, Neofiscus, Otomela, Phoneus.
Great Gray Shrike (Socotra)
SCI Name: Lanius excubitor uncinatus
uncinata / uncinatus
L. uncinatus hooked < uncus, unci hook.
Great Gray Shrike (Steppe)
SCI Name: Lanius excubitor pallidirostris
pallidirostris
L. pallidus pallid < pallere to be pale; -rostris -billed < rostrum beak.
Great Gray Shrike (Indian)
SCI Name: Lanius excubitor lahtora
lahtora
Hindi name Latorā for a shrike (subsp. Lanius excubitor).
UPPERCASE: current genus
Uppercase first letter: generic synonym
● and ● See: generic homonyms
lowercase: species and subspecies
●: early names, variants, mispellings
‡: extinct
†: type species
Gr.: ancient Greek
L.: Latin
<: derived from
syn: synonym of
/: separates historical and modern geographic names
ex: based on
TL: type locality
OD: original diagnosis (genus) or original description (species)