To us “civilized” mammals, some animal behavior can sometimes be construed as downright gruesome. There are behaviors that have been observed by animals in which even the most avid naturalist has been ...

What it eats: Mainly invertebrates, but also small vertebrates including reptiles, amphibians, bats and birds. Why it's awesome: The loggerhead shrike is nicknamed the "butcherbird" thanks to its ...

Vlad the Impaler, or Vlad III, was prince of Wallachia three times between 1448 and 1477. Wallachia was a region of Europe that eventually become present-day Romania. A ferocious warrior, Vlad was ...

The sight startled us. A savannah sparrow hanging limp and lifeless from a sharp-pointed spike on a barbed-wire fence lining a farm field. Had it snagged its own neck on the spike? Not likely. More ...

Like eagles and falcons, shrikes are birds of prey. However, they aren’t raptors, but are songbirds. Though shrikes have a sharp, hooked beak, they are small and have weak legs. The little shrike ...

The loggerhead shrike, also known as the "butcherbird," is a predatory songbird known for impaling its prey on sharp objects. Once common in Ohio, the species is now endangered in the state due to ...

If on a late afternoon walk across an open field you encounter a thorny honey locust tree with an impaled display of songbirds or field mice dangling in the wind — like macabre ornaments on some ...

The loggerhead shrike may look like any other songbird you might see at a backyard feeder, but its soft exterior masks the heart of a killer. “It really is a bird of prey trapped in the songbirds body ...

On my recent trip to Houston, I built in plenty of time to explore areas along the Gulf Coast and vicinity. Once outside of the sphere of Houston, one can get into wide-open, sparsely inhabited places ...