Editing Loggerhead shrike (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Loggerhead Shrike Gary Leavens.jpg|thumb|In Tatum, Florida]]
Loggerhead shrikes were once widely distributed across southern Canada, the contiguous USA and Mexico.<ref name="miller1931" /> However, their populations have heavily declined since the 1960s.<ref name="collister1996" /> Four subspecies reside in southern coastal California: ''mearnsi, gambeli, grinnelli'' and ''anthonyi''.<ref>Patten M, Campbell K. 2008. Typological thinking and the conservation of subspecies: the case of the San Clemente Island loggerhead shrike. Diversity and Distributions. 6(4): 177–188.</ref> ''L. l. mearnsi'' is only found on San Clemente Island in California, whereas ''L. l. gambeli'' breeds on the mainland and ''L. l. anthonyi'' breeds on the Channel Islands.<ref name="mundy1997" /> ''L. l. excubitorides'' is found in central North America, whereas the non-migrating ''L. l. ludovicianus'' resides in southeastern North America.<ref name="collister1996" /> The distribution of ''L. l. migrans'' ranges from north to eastern North America; however, its range has been diminishing since the 1940s.<ref name="chabot1994" />
   
The bird requires an open habitat with an area to forage, elevated perches, and nesting sites.<ref name="brooks1990" /> They are often found in open pastures or grasslands and appear to prefer red-cedar and hawthorn trees for nesting.<ref name="chabot2001">{{cite journal | last1 = Chabot | first1 = A | last2 = Titman | first2 = R | last3 = Bird | first3 = D | year = 2001 | title = Habitat use by Loggerhead Shrikes in Ontario and Quebec | journal = Canadian Journal of Zoology | volume = 79 | issue = 5| pages = 916–925 | doi=10.1139/z01-039| bibcode = 2001CaJZ...79..916C }}</ref> The hawthorn's thorns and the cedar's pin-like needles protect and conceal the shrike from predators.<ref>Gawlick D, Bildstein K. 1990. Reproductive success and nesting habitat of Loggerhead Shrikes in north-central South Carolina. Wilson Bulletin. 102(1): 37–48.</ref> It may also nest in fence-rows or hedge-rows near open pastures and requires elevated perches as lookout points for hunting.<ref name="brooks1990">Brooks B, Temple S. 1990. Habitat availability and suitability for loggerhead shrikes in the upper midwest. The American Midland Naturalist. 123(1): 75–83.</ref><ref name="chabot2001" /> Open pastures and grasslands with shorter vegetation are preferred by loggerhead shrikes, as they increase the bird's hunting efficiency. Longer vegetation often requires more time and energy to be spent searching for prey, so these birds gravitate towards areas of shorter vegetation.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Yosef | first1 = R | last2 = Grubb | first2 = T | year = 1992 | title = Territory size influences nutritional condition in nonbreeding loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus): a ptilochronology approach | journal = Conservation Biology | volume = 6 | issue = 3| pages = 447–449 | doi=10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.06030447.x| bibcode = 1992ConBi...6..447Y }}</ref>