Conservation project for Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor)

Lead researcher: Marc Gálvez (Shrike Association).

Description: The Shrike (Lanius minor) is a long-distance migratory bird from steppe environments that reaches our territory in early May to give birth and leave in late August, when their chicks are capable of undertaking the long journey to return to winter habitats which they have in South Africa. Of all types of birds from steppe environments, it is one of the three most endangered species in Catalonia, along with the Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) and the almost disappeared Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus dupponti). Unlike these two species, however, the Shrike is the most endangered on the Lleida plain, as the Catalan population is thousands of kilometres from the most significant populations (in Italy and Eastern European countries) and is at the tail of its western distribution. This makes its situation more critical than that of the other two species, as the Catalan population depends entirely on itself, unlike the Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Dupont’s Lark which have populations closer within the Iberian Peninsula.

The goal of any ex situ management is always the conservation of the species at in situ level. In the case of the Shrike the main objectives envisaged in carrying out ex situ management are:

1. To reinforce the wild population and create new breeding centres. The ultimate goal of the current nuclei is to achieve a flight rate of 5 chicks / pair with reproductive success, a rate necessary, according to the statistical analyses carried out, for the mild decrease the wild population is now undergoing to turn into growth. However, the ultimate goal of the Catalan population is to create new nuclei. It is well known that the survival of a species depends not only on demographic parameters but also their distribution. The existence of a positive correlation between the number of nuclei existing in a species and the probability of its survival shows that the formation of new breeding nuclei should be one of the priority measures in the conservation management of the Shrike.

2. Creation of a genetic reserve. The main objective of a genetic reserve is to maintain the long-term genetic variability existing in a wild population / species in captivity. In this way, it can be accessed at any time if necessary (to reinforce the wild population and / or create new nuclei). This focus for captivity should be managed demographically and genetically.

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