Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) [XC255240]
by Richard E. Webster from Round Valley, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise Co., Arizona, United States (call, song)
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) [XC572843]
by Brad Banner from Whirlwind Valley, Beowawe, Eureka County, Nevada, United States (call)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor), Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) and Chinese Grey Shrike (Lanius sphenocercus). Recent molecular-genetic studies suggest that it is possibly closest to Iberian Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), but further research is required. Subspecies intergrade, making subspecific delimitation difficult.
Other proposed subspecies include, in USA, gambeli (described from Calaveras County, in east-central California), nevadensis (Inyo County, in eastern California) and sonoriensis (Chiracahua Mts, in south-eastern Arizona), all subsumed in excubitorides; and miamensis (Cutler, Miami-Dade County, in south-eastern Florida), merged with nominate; and, in Mexico, nelsoni (southern Baja California), which is synonymized with mexicanus.
The following 11 subspecies are recognised:
excubitorides Swainson, 1832 - Breeds south-western Canada (S
British Columbia, central Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and south-western Manitoba) southern in W
USA to eastern Washington, extreme southern Oregon and southern Idaho and to California,
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (except north-east), east to North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and western Oklahoma. Non-breeding in southern parts of
range and south to western Mexico (including Baja California).
grinnelli Oberholser, 1919 - Extreme southern California (S
from San Diego County) south to extreme north-western Mexico (central Baja California
Norte).
anthonyi Mearns, 1898 - Channel Is (Santa Rosa, Santa
Cruz, Santa Catalina), off southern California.
mearnsi Ridgway, 1903 - San Clemente I, off S
California.
migrans Palmer, W, 1898 - Breeds south-eastern Canada (southern Ontario, S
Quebec, southern Michigan) and, in USA, from eastern edge of Great Plains (eastern from
Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and north-eastern Texas) east to New York and Atlantic
coast, and southern into Mississippi Valley to northern Mississippi, Arkansas and N
Louisiana. Non-breeding in south of range and south to Gulf Coast states and
eastern coast of Mexico.
ludovicianus Linnaeus, 1766 - Eastern and southern USA (eastern of
Appalachian Mts) from North Carolina south to Gulf Coast states and southern tip
of Florida.
mexicanus Brehm, CL, 1854 - Western and central Mexico
(including southern Baja California) south to Oaxaca.
gambeli Ridgway, 1887 - Western northern America (south-western Canada to south-western US); > to western Mexico.
sonoriensis Miller, 1930 - Arid south-western US to north-western Mexico (northern Durango and southern Sinaloa).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet