Leg Colour of Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

We received a number of comments on this interesting bird, and apart from the colour of the legs and feet, the small white base to the primaries caught the attention of our readers.

It would appear that the viewers of the image haven't seen anything quite like it, either in the hand or in the field. The leg colour of this individual would seem to be quite unique and Red-backed Shrikes (along with other European shrikes) with pale legs and feet must be very rare indeed.

Several readers commented on the white patch at the base of the primaries, and some of the feedback is included below. However, in the description for adult male Red-backed Shrike given in the excellent Shrike identification paper in Dutch Birding Vol. 22 No6 2000, Tim Worfolk writes “A minority of males (and females) show a small whitish spot at the base of the primaries. It is unclear whether this is the result of introgression of phoenicuroides genes as the feature has been noted in birds in Europe, several thousand kilometres from the nearest breeding phoenicuroides (Chylarecki 1991).”

The following are selected comments -

It also seems to have white bases to the inner primaries, I think it shouldn't have any...”

Ido Tsurim
Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

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Hi Fellows, Hello James, In twelve years of research on Red-backed Shrikes I caught and photographed quite a number of RBS males both in Hungary and in some other countries, and all of them possessed blackish legs. It would be interesting to see more, or if there would be a population somewhere with altered leg colours...” 

Dr. Tibor I. Fuisz Ph.D.
Animal Ecology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

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Dear James, Have you also noticed, quite rare for Red-backed Shrike, small white mirror on primaries? Pale legs colour is apparently extremely rare in Red-backed Shrike as well as other European shrikes.

Best wishes,
Marcin Filipek Poland.

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Hi James, I have little to comment on your record but I have certainly never seen any Red-backed Shrikes in Finland with pale feet. The species is a fairly common breeder in South Finland and I have also ringed about a dozen birds (although they all probably being 1cy autumn birds). Sounds like a quite remarkable record - I hope you will update EuroBirdnet if you hear of similar records from somewhere else. White patch at the base of the primaries are frequently seen in Finnish birds but not on all.

Martin Helin, Finland.
martin.helin@koti.fimnet.fi

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Thank you very much to all of you that sent in comments on this report, and special thanks to Dr. Reuven Yosef for forwarding my inquiry to the International Shrike Working Group.

In the mean time, we'd be happy to share images or accounts with any birders or ringers that successfully document a pale legged Shrike in the near future.

Good birding, James P. Smith and the Birdingisrael Team.

Contact info

Daphna Abell
Program Coordinator
lotan-programs@lotan.ardom.co.il
Tel: +972 8 6356935;
Toll Free: 1800 2000 75 (when in Israel)