Illustration of shrike
: any of numerous usually largely gray or brownish oscine birds (family Laniidae) that have a hooked bill, feed chiefly on insects, and often impale their prey on thorns
Examples of shrike in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to flycatchers, shrikes and some owls, bird species commonly trapped include bluebirds, woodpeckers, sparrows, and kestrels.
—
Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Among male green tree frogs, smaller specimens lower their voices to sound bigger, and shrikes, a type of songbird that uses false alarms to divert rivals from food or potential mates, lie as a matter of habit.
—Paul Tullis, Town & Country, 30 Apr. 2023
The Truro Christmas Bird Count had highlights including 53 red crossbills, 28 pine siskins, 15 Northern saw-whet owls, a Northern shrike in Wellfleet, 4 clapper rails on the Herring River, and a glaucous gull in Provincetown.
—BostonGlobe.com, 11 Jan. 2023
Several animals—including worms, lizards, small rodents, other birds, and even snakes—have fallen prey to the appetite of a shrike.
—Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2022
My winter bird thrill was a northern shrike landing in a treetop just outside our back door.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2022
The loggerhead shrike is a rare breeder in Minnesota that gets replaced in winter by the northern shrike, which begins arriving in late October.
—Bob Timmons, Star Tribune, 21 Jan. 2021
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Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Among male green tree frogs, smaller specimens lower their voices to sound bigger, and shrikes, a type of songbird that uses false alarms to divert rivals from food or potential mates, lie as a matter of habit.
—Paul Tullis, Town & Country, 30 Apr. 2023
The Truro Christmas Bird Count had highlights including 53 red crossbills, 28 pine siskins, 15 Northern saw-whet owls, a Northern shrike in Wellfleet, 4 clapper rails on the Herring River, and a glaucous gull in Provincetown.
—BostonGlobe.com, 11 Jan. 2023
Several animals—including worms, lizards, small rodents, other birds, and even snakes—have fallen prey to the appetite of a shrike.
—Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2022
My winter bird thrill was a northern shrike landing in a treetop just outside our back door.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2022
The loggerhead shrike is a rare breeder in Minnesota that gets replaced in winter by the northern shrike, which begins arriving in late October.
—Bob Timmons, Star Tribune, 21 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Shrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrike. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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