Woodchat Shrike
(Lanius senator)
Category of conservation concern (IUCN, 2020) – Least Concern
Population size: 15 000 – 20 000 pairs
Distribution pattern
With patchy and dispersed uneven distribution throughout the country without the higher mountains. More densely in Southeastern Bulgaria between the valley of Kamchia River and the Eastern Rhodopes and along the valleys of the rivers Struma and Mesta. More fragmented in the Thracian Plain, the Danubian Plain and dispersed in the northernmost and westernmost parts of the country.
Comparative distribution of the species compared to the first breeding birds atlas (Iankov, 2007): Breeding locality until 2007 | Breeding locality until 2007, confirmed after 2015 – | New breeding locality after 2015. – The breeding localities after 2015 are identified on a base of raw data from smartbirds.org.
Habitats
Breeds on exposed sites with bushes, giving preference to sclerophyllous scrub and temperate heath and scrub. It is also found in steppes and dry calcareous grasslands with single bushes. Sometimes breeds at the edges of sparse broad-leaved deciduous forests, mainly of Quercus sp. and in clearings with bushes. Less often in orchards, tree and shrub plantations, and strips of trees, shrubs and mosaics of them.
Trends in population changes for the period 2013-2020
Not analysed
Threats
Not analysed