Northern shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

It’s never easy being a tiny rodent in Kansas in the wintertime. Thousands of hawks and eagles migrate here to spend the winter. We also have some of the highest densities in America of coyotes and bobcats.

But it turns out tiny creatures also need to fear a 10-inch-bird with a beak meant for ripping flesh.

Like other shrikes, northern shrikes not only prey on small mammals and birds, they’re often prone to impaling them on thorns or the barbs of a wire fence.

Unlike prettier loggerhead shrikes, northern shrikes aren’t native to Kansas and most spent the nesting season in the Arctic.

Both species of shrikes prefer open country that has scattered trees.

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Northern shrike."