loggerhead shrike

noun

: a large-headed gray shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) of North America with a black mask around the eyes

Examples of loggerhead shrike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The fire also swept through parts of the island that have rare habitats for sensitive plant and animal species found nowhere else, such as the endangered San Clemente loggerhead shrike, a carnivorous songbird. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024 The most notable birding highlights last week — despite the super heat and humidity — were a Mississippi kite in Provincetown, a black-necked stilt and a sandwich tern at Nantucket, and a loggerhead shrike in Orange. BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022 Franklin County: a regional loggerhead shrike at the Orange Airport. BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022 The loggerhead shrike is a rare breeder in Minnesota that gets replaced in winter by the northern shrike, which begins arriving in late October. Bob Timmons, Star Tribune, 21 Jan. 2021 In a single day early in his career, Seriff could spot several of the fierce little predators called loggerhead shrikes. Bruce Henderson, charlotteobserver, 12 Apr. 2018 On the down side, the CBC data is helping to track the steady declines of such iconic North American species as Northern bobwhite, American kestrel and loggerhead shrike. James F. McCarty, cleveland.com, 8 Dec. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of loggerhead shrike was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near loggerhead shrike

Cite this Entry

“Loggerhead shrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loggerhead%20shrike. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on loggerhead shrike

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!