ML627340951

Observation details

Flagged as rare; robust songbird with heavy, deep-based bill, large blocky heady, and long tail. Plumage clean, in gray, black, and white with upperparts cool gray; wings largely black with bold white patch on primaries; tail black with crisp, white outer edges; underparts whitish with gray wash on breast and flanks. Separated from NSHR, the only very similar species, by its stout, heavy-based bill, black mask meeting across the forehead, limited white in the face, and an overall cleaner and more contrasty look. Bird is banded and a response from the Loggerhead Shrike Working Group has indicated that the bird was hatched this past summer (2024) in captivity and released in Ontario at the end of August; an extremely cool update to an already awesome find! Documentary photos attached