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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Bull-headed Shrike

Lanius bucephalus Temminck & Schlegel, 1845

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Lanius bucephalus (Bull-headed Shrike) male, in Japan

Lanius bucephalus (Bull-headed Shrike) male, in Japan

Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image source

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Open encyclopedia reference

The bull-headed shrike (Lanius bucephalus) is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the shrike family Laniidae. It is 19–20 cm (approx. 7.48-7.9 inches) long. The male has a brown crown, white eyebrow and black mask. The back is grey-brown while the wings are dark with a white patch. The flanks are rufous and the rest of the underparts are whitish with fine barring. Females are similar but duller and browner with a brown mask and no white wing-patch. The species has harsh grating and chattering calls and will also mimic other birds. It breeds in north-east China, Korea, Japan and far-eastern Russia (Ussuriland, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands). Northern birds migrate south for the winter with a few reaching southern China. Vagrants have been recorded in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The isolated race sicarius is found only in the mountains of Gansu Province in west-central China. Open habitats such as farmland and woodland edges are preferred. It also visits parks and gardens in urban areas.

Wikipedia contributors, Bull-headed shrike; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:05:39.866038+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Lanius bucephalus Temminck & Schlegel, 1845
Name authority
Temminck & Schlegel, 1845
Common name
Bull-headed Shrike
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Laniidae
Genus
Lanius
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderPasseriformes
  10. familyLaniidae Rafinesque, 1815
  11. genusLanius Linnaeus, 1758
  12. speciesLanius bucephalus Temminck & Schlegel, 1845

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Lanius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Southern FiscalLanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio Linnaeus, 1758LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Grey-backed FiscalLanius excubitoroides Prévost & des Murs, 1847LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Northern FiscalLanius humeralis Stanley, 1814LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Mackinnon's ShrikeLanius mackinnoni Sharpe, 1891LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalis Temminck, 1820LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor J. F. Gmelin, 1788LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Long-tailed ShrikeLanius schach Linnaeus, 1758LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Woodchat ShrikeLanius senator Linnaeus, 1758LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Souza's ShrikeLanius souzae Barboza du Bocage, 1878LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Chinese Grey ShrikeLanius sphenocercus Cabanis, 1873LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Mountain ShrikeLanius validirostris Ogilvie-Grant, 1894LaniidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 28 records assigned to Laniidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)

Southern Asia

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. Temminck, Coenraad Jacob, & and Hermann Schlegel. (1845). Fauna Japonica, Sive, Descriptio Animalium, Quae in Itinere per Japoniam, Jussu et Auspiciis, Superiorum, Qui Summum in India Batava Imperium Tenent, Suscepto, Annis 1823-1830, Vol. 4, Aves, Fascicle 2. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3S7BF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.