This cache is part of a series of caches on the Great Florida Birding Trail for my Girl Scout Gold Award project. The purpose is to teach people about the birds native to the area so they can learn more about the birds and how to protect them and their environment.
This cache is located at the Chain of Lakes Park, located at 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville, FL 32796, and is open 24 hours. The park is pretty big so I suggest you bring a bike.
Loggerhead Shrike
Characteristics
- Thick-bodied songbirds, and have large, blocky heads
- Thick bill with a small hook, the tail is fairly long and rounded
- Gray bird with a black mask and white flashes in the black wings
Behavior
- Sit on low, exposed perches and scan for rodents, lizards, birds, and insects
- When flying it uses bursts of very rapid wingbeats
Conservation Status
- Numbers have declined in many areas; now essentially gone from the northeast
- Reasons for decline poorly understood, may be related to pesticides and/or changes in habitat
Habitat
- Open country with scattered shrubs and trees
- Can also be found in more heavily wooded habitats with large openings and in very short habitats with few or no trees
Interesting Facts
- Often stores uneaten prey by impaling it on thorn or barbed wire, returning to eat it later