Shrikes like short grasses where they can find mice, voles and insects.
Centuries ago, loggerhead shrikes lived on the plains and grasslands
of eastern and central Canada, all the way from New Brunswick
to eastern Manitoba.
In the 19th
century, after settlers began clearing forests to create farmland,
shrike
numbers grew as they took advantage of
this new habitat. Today, however, intensive farming practices and
urban development combined with the decline of the family cattle
farm have reduced the amount of shrike habitat — and the
number of shrikes.
In 2009, fewer than 35 breeding pairs were spotted in Canada,
and the sightings were restricted to just a few areas , and the
sightings were restricted to just a few areas:
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In
southeast Manitoba: in the suburban communities of West St.
Paul, Rosser and Headlingley |
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In
Ontario: on the Napanee Plain, the Carden Plain, the Smiths
Falls Plain, Renfrew, and Grey and Bruce counties |
Until recently, they
were also found in Quebec’s Outaouais
region and on Manitoulin Island in Ontario.
The majority
of rare sightings are in the Carden and Napanee areas of Ontario,
with only one pair confirmed in other areas.

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Typical shrike habitat consists of open grassland with hedgerows,
scattered trees or thorny shrubs to provide sites for nesting and
perching.
In Ontario
and Quebec, shrikes usually nest in hawthorns (Crataegus),
red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and spruce (Picea).
In southeastern Manitoba, they prefer hawthorn, scattered willow
(Salix),
small
spruce (Picea) and non-native caragana and Russian olive (Eleangus
angustifolia).
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