Loggerhead Shrike – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Overview

Species Common Name Loggerhead Shrike
Species Scientific Name Lanius ludovicianus
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Special needs

Loggerhead Shrikes use tall sagebrush for nesting and roosting. They require open areas with grasses and significant bare ground for foraging.

Limiting factors

Population declines have been linked to habitat loss, including loss of sagebrush due to high-intensity wildfires.

Data gaps

Investigate post-fledging survivorship as a function of habitat quality. Evaluate the impacts of pesticide use on shrike prey base, especially grasshoppers.

Conservation actions

Maintain late-seral sagebrush with patches of tall shrubs.

Key reference or plan

Loggerhead Shrike Status Assessment