How to Tell Male and Female Long-tailed Shrikes Apart? A Detailed Guide to Identification Methods

The long-tailed shrike is a bird of the genus Lanius in the family Laniidae, commonly known as Guilai Mu and Yellow Shrike, with an English name that translates literally as long-tailed shrike. The long-tailed shrike is characterized by a thick black eye stripe or crown, black wings, a long black tail, a grayish upper body, and a brownish underbody. It is widely distributed along the eastern coast and in the south of China, including Taiwan, China, Hainan and other provinces, and is a very common resident bird. So how do you tell male and female long-tailed shrikes apart?

How to tell male and female long-tailed shrikes apart

The male long-tailed shrike has a thicker black band on the top of its head, and the white feathers on its wings are bright white; the female has less black banding, and the white feathers on its wings are dull white. As for the call, the male's is a bit clearer, while the female's is a bit more throaty.

The long-tailed shrike has 13 subspecies, and China has the following four subspecies:

The Taiwan subspecies of the long-tailed shrike. It is distributed within China. The type locality of this species is Taiwan Island.

The Hainan subspecies of the long-tailed shrike. It is distributed in Hainan and other places in China. The type locality of this species is Hainan Island.

The nominate subspecies of the long-tailed shrike. In China, it is distributed in areas south of the Yangtze River, north to Gansu and Shaanxi, west to Sichuan and Yunnan, and occasionally seen in Shandong and other places. The type locality of this species is in China.

The southwestern subspecies of the long-tailed shrike. It is distributed in Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, India, and Yunnan, Tibet and other places in China. The type locality of this species is Nepal. This subspecies differs from the other subspecies in that it is entirely black from the forehead to the upper back and from the lores to the ear coverts, while the rest of the upper body and the scapulars are light brown. Within China, it is distributed in Yunnan and the Changdu area of Tibet (resident bird).