This is Episode 75. It’s all about shrikes—birds in the family Laniidae.These are true songbirds—members of the avian suborder Passeri within the order Passeriformes—even though they act (and sort of look like) tiny falcons or hawks.Shrikes are sit and wait predators. They typically sit upright on an exposed, conspicuous perch and then wait for something tasty to come along. Some small animal, like a Vesper Sparrow, a rodent, lizard, grasshopper, and so on.Shrikes are such cool birds that they have many fans among ornithologists. In fact, there’s a subdiscipline of ornithology called shrikeology. For real. And those who study these fascinating birds are known as shrikeologists.So for today, at least, let’s all be honorary shrikeologists. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty details of shrike biology. Links of InterestRed-backed Shrike courtship [VIDEO]   ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website Birds and Beans Coffee - Get yourself some delicious, bird-friendly coffee that preserves habitat for migratory and resident birds in coffee-growing regions.Support the show