Red-backed shrike with insect at the Thornbush

The Red-backed shrike is called Neuntöter in German (Ninetimes-Killer) since it likes to store the insects it catches on thornbushes. I have already taken several pictures of this birds at different locations. But it likes open fields with small vegetation. The edge of forrets when connected to an open field or grassland is perfect. And this picture was made at a green area between two crop fields, where a lot of bushes, thornbushes and smaller vegetation grows. They either eat the insects they catch right away or build up a storage of them on thornbushes, to eat them later. Only few bird species actually prepare a storage for food and one of them is the red-backed shrike.

Red backed shrike with insect. Picture: Florian Glechner.

I always like it when I can take pictures of birds in t heir natural habitat and on this day in Lower Austria I was able to do that. There are some bird species that can adapt really well to the urbanisation and some do live in the cities too but some birds are really endangered since their habitat is declining because of us humans.

Thornbushes are the prefered vegetation for the red backed shrike. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Male Red backed shrike on a thornbush. Picture: Florian Glechner.