Editing Loggerhead shrike (section)

===Diet===
Loggerhead shrikes have been repeatedly observed killing prey larger than themselves by spearing the neck or head of the animal and twisting. The speed at which this occurs causes a [[whiplash (medicine)|whiplash]] injury to the animal. The neck strength of the shrikes compensates, making their talon weakness inconsequential.<ref>{{cite news |title=Head-turning violence helps tiny songbirds kill big prey: study |url=https://www.afp.com/en/news/2265/head-turning-violence-helps-tiny-songbirds-kill-big-prey-study-doc-18u9wy1 |work= AFP.com| publisher= Agence France-Presse |date=5 September 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180905060159/https://www.afp.com/en/news/2265/head-turning-violence-helps-tiny-songbirds-kill-big-prey-study-doc-18u9wy1 |archive-date= 5 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Although loggerhead shrikes are [[passerines]], they are a predatory species that hunt during the day. They primarily eat insects, but also consume arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, [[bat]]s and small birds.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mikula|first1=P.|last2=Morelli|first2=F.|last3=Lučan|first3=R. K.| last4= Jones| first4=D. N.|last5=Tryjanowski|first5=P.| display-authors= 3| year= 2016| title=Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective |journal= [[Mammal Review]] |volume= 46| issue= 3|pages=160–174|doi=10.1111/mam.12060}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Sustaita | first1 = D | last2 = Rubega | first2 = M | year = 2014 | title = The anatomy of a shrike bite: bill shape and bite performance in Loggerhead Shrikes | journal = [[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society]] | volume = 112 | issue = 3| pages = 485–98 | doi=10.1111/bij.12298| doi-access = free }}</ref> They have even eaten venomous snakes such as the [[water adder]]. The size of prey ranges from {{cvt|0.001|g}} insects to {{cvt|25|g|sigfig=2}} mice or reptiles.<ref name= "craig1978"/>
[[File:Desert Iguana imported from iNaturalist photo 13241876 on 3 December 2024.jpg|thumb|[[Desert iguana]] pinned to a [[Krameria bicolor|white rhatany]] shrub by a loggerhead shrike. In California.]]
They are not true birds of prey, as they lack the large, strong talons used to catch and kill prey.<ref name="smith1973"/> Instead, they are sit-and-wait hunters that stalk prey by [[hawking (birds)|hawking]] and diving from elevated perches. By scanning their vicinity from a perch instead of flying, the shrike does not exhaust its energy during the search. Preferred perches are approximately {{cvt|13|ft|m|sigfig=2}} off the ground, and are usually outer branches of trees or telephone wires.<ref name="craig1978"/><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Atkinson |first1=Eric C. | last2=Cade | first2=Tom J. |year= 1993 |title= Winter foraging and diet composition of Northern Shrikes in Idaho |journal= [[Condor (journal)|Condor]] |volume= 95| issue=3| pages= 528–35 | url= https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v095n03/p0528-p0535.pdf | doi=10.2307/1369596|jstor=1369596 }}</ref> In winter, prey availability is low due to the shrike's preference for insects and [[poikilotherm]]ic prey; during this time, shrikes may be energetically stressed and underweight.<ref name="craig1978"/> Insects are consumed in mid-flight, but vertebrates usually require more handling time and therefore more energy.<ref name="smith1973"/> Due to the shrike's small size in proportion to the size of its prey, it must rely on specialized adaptations to facilitate its hunting. The powerful, hooked beak of the loggerhead shrike allows it to sever the neck of a small vertebrate. Larger prey are subjected to impaling, in which they are pushed down into a sharp projection, such as a thorn or barbed wire. The bird can then tear off flesh by using the projection as an anchor.<ref name="smith1973"/> The shrike may also use the thorn to fasten and store its food to return to at a later time.<ref name= "craig1978"/>

The motion of impalement appears to be instinctive, as parent shrikes do not demonstrate the behavior to their nestlings. However, a young shrike must experience impaling prey upon an actual projection during a critical developmental period; otherwise, it will not learn to use the instinctive impaling action upon an actual projection.<ref>{{cite journal| last= Smith |first= S.| year= 1972| title= The ontogeny of impaling behaviour in the Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus L.| journal= [[Behaviour (journal)|Behaviour]]| volume= 42| number= 3| pages= 232–46|doi= 10.1163/156853972X00284}}</ref> [[Kleptoparasitism]] has also been observed in nature, in which the shrike chased down another bird and stole its recently-caught prey.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Etterson | first1 = M | last2 = Howery | first2 = M | year = 2001 | title = Kleptoparasitism of soil-foraging passerines by loggerhead shrikes | journal = [[Journal of Field Ornithology]] | volume = 72 | issue = 3| pages = 458–461 | doi=10.1648/0273-8570-72.3.458}}</ref>