Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor pallidirostris
Very rare vagrant. Breeds in semi-desert regions of C Asia from lower Volga E to Gobi Desert in S Mongolia, and S to NE Iran, Afghanistan and N Pakistan. Winters NE Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and S Iran to Baluchistan, Pakistan.
Steppe Grey Shrike at Grainthorpe on November 9th 2008 (left, Dean Eades; centre/right Graham Catley).
Steppe Grey Shrike L.e. pallidirostris has had a chequered history over the last 20 years. Originally treated as a Central Asian race of L. excubitor it was split by BOU as a race of the “Southern Grey Shrike” complex L. meridionalis pallidirostris and it was thought likely it would be elevated to full species status. When BOU decided to follow IOC taxonomy it was lumped with L. excubitor again from January 2019. If and when IOC and other authorities carry out a detailed review of the complex it may well be split again! There have been two Lincolnshire records of this vagrant Shrike. The first occurred at Nene Mouth in November 2005 and the second at Grainthorpe Marsh November 2008. It was one of the most twitched British birds of all times, as it followed the BOU split that made it “tickable” for the first time. These two records are not included in the Great Grey Shrike archive at present.
| Site | First date | Last date | Count | Notes |
| Nene Mouth, Sutton Bridge | 16/11/2005 | - | 1 | 1CY |
| Grainthorpe | 07/11/2008 | 26/11/2008 | 1 | 1CY |
References
Hudson, N and the Rarities Committee (2009). Report on Rare Birds in Great Britain in 2008. British Birds 102 (10) p589.
British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC): 50th Report (October 2019) https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12762.
(Account as per new Birds of Lincolnshire (2021), included October 2022)