Shrikes Impale Their Prey on Thorns
Don’t let their adorable appearance fool you. Shrikes have a hunting technique that’s as vicious as it is effective. The ferocious predator, which has been nicknamed the butcherbird, kills much of its prey by forcefully snapping their necks. Once dead, the birds impale the body on sharp objects, like thorns and twigs. In some cases, these killing machines have even been observed using barbed wire to impale the insects, rodents, birds, and small reptiles that make up their diet. Shrikes are extremely proficient hunters, able to easily take down animals that are as large or even larger than their own tiny bodies.