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shrike

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
shrike  (shrk)
n.
Any of various carnivorous oscine birds of the family Laniidae, having a screeching call and a strong hooked bill with a toothlike projection and often impaling its prey on sharp-pointed thorns or barbs of wire fencing.

[Probably from Middle English *shrik, from Old English scrc, thrush.]

shrike [ʃraɪk]
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) Also called butcherbird any songbird of the chiefly Old World family Laniidae, having a heavy hooked bill and feeding on smaller animals which they sometimes impale on thorns, barbed wire, etc. See also bush shrike [1]
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various similar but unrelated birds, such as the cuckoo shrikes
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals)
shrike thrush or tit another name for thickhead (the bird)
[Old English scrīc thrush; related to Middle Dutch schrīk corncrake; see screech1, shriek]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.shrikeshrike - any of numerous Old World birds having a strong hooked bill that feed on smaller animals
oscine, oscine bird - passerine bird having specialized vocal apparatus
butcherbird - shrikes that impale their prey on thorns
Lanius lucovicianus, loggerhead shrike - a common shrike of southeastern United States having black bands around the eyes
Lanius ludovicianus migrans, migrant shrike - a shrike of central North America; winters in Texas and the southern Mississippi valley
bush shrike - an African shrike
Translations
shrike [ʃraɪk] Nalcaudón m
shrike
nWürger m
shrike [ʃraɪk] naverla maggiore
shrike [ʃraɪk] naverla maggiore


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
In our own country the larger titmouse (Parus major) may be seen climbing branches, almost like a creeper; it often, like a shrike, kills small birds by blows on the head; and I have many times seen and heard it hammering the seeds of the yew on a branch, and thus breaking them like a nuthatch.
In its structure it closely approaches the true shrikes, but in its habits may be compared to many birds.
 
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