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Key information: The Masked Shrike comes to Cyprus in the spring to nest. Its nest is shaped like a cup, made out of thin twigs, found in a tree or bush. It has a distinctive black eye stripe that looks like a mask. The female looks similar to the male, but it is duller-coloured. Before it eats its prey, it impales it on a thorny bush. It has a distinctive scratchy song.

Length: 17 – 18,5 cm

Habitat: Scrub and bushes, mountains and forests

When they can be seen: Spring, summer, autumn

What they eat: Invertebrates, seeds

In Cyprus: Can be seen in plains, hills and mountains, but especially in forested areas

Status: Migrant breeder, passage migrant

Illustration by Paschalis Dougalis