Butcherbird in the Yard

 We had a northern shrike at our feeder yesterday. Not a great picture as he didn't stick around long after we spotted him.

Soon after he sped off after an unwary pine siskin and out of our sight range so we don't know if his hunt was successful. 

Quiz of the Day:

Why is butcherbird the nickname for the northern shrike?

(Answer after the break)

They're called butcherbirds because they impale their prey on thorns and barbed wire fences.   Interestingly, there's an unrelated bird in Australia (basically the equivalent to our crow) also called the butcherbird, so named because it has the same habit.