Our Avian department continues to participate in conservation work in Middle Tennessee by monitoring local loggerhead shrike populations. Read the updates on this project below.
The Zoo collaborates closely with Southeastern Avian Research and the Loggerhead Shrike Working Group to identify research, conservation, and management priorities for these birds.
Since 2013, Nashville Zoo staff and local researchers have surveyed and monitored loggerhead shrikes in Middle Tennessee. Each banded individual receives a federal band and colored bands to indicate the state and year they were found. The team also measures their weight and feathers.
The Loggerhead Shrike Working Group conducts studies using blood samples to determine which subspecies of shrikes migrate, which are year-round residents, and their distribution across North America. Several subspecies inhabit the US, Canada, and Mexico. After, each bird is released back to their original location.
Loggerhead Shrikes are listed as Near Threatened, indicating a need for management in Tennessee. These small to medium-sized predatory grassland songbirds inhabit pastures and lawns near fencing and power lines. They use fences as staging points to hunt prey, which includes insects, small amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and even other birds. Loggerhead Shrikes often impale their prey on barbed wire or branches.
The population is declining rapidly due to habitat loss as traditional farmland develops into suburban living spaces. Landowners can easily maintain suitable habitats for shrikes, sparrows, and quail by preserving short grass pastures and overgrowing plants along fence lines.
In 2016, the Zoo received four captive shrikes from Wildlife Preservation Canada for a migratory urge study. Our Avian Department cares for these birds on the Zoo’s property and studies how they utilize their habitat throughout the seasons.
By monitoring wild populations and studying captive birds, the Zoo aims to learn more about the components of suitable shrike habitats. This knowledge will help the Zoo manage land more effectively and provide recommendations to landowners on how to ensure their land supports shrike-friendly habitats.
