Bull-headed Shrike

The bull-headed shrike is a stocky, large-headed shrike 19–20 cm long. Males have a brown crown, white eyebrow, black mask, grey-brown back, dark wings with a white patch and rufous flanks. Females are duller and browner, with a brown mask and no clear white wing patch. Fine barring marks the pale underparts. Its harsh rattles and ability to imitate other birds often reveal it on an exposed perch (Wikipedia, general species account, citing regional field guides).

It breeds in northeastern China, Korea, Japan and far-eastern Russia; northern birds move south in winter, with rare records extending to Vietnam. Farmland, woodland edge, parks and gardens provide open hunting space. Birds wait on prominent perches before dropping onto beetles, crickets, lizards and crustaceans, sometimes impaling prey on thorns for storage or easier feeding. A nest in bushes or bamboo holds two to six eggs, incubated for 14–15 days (Wikipedia, general species account, citing Brazil and Lee et al.).