the stranglers with its disaster-promising name was still adjusted often in Europe in most recent time in order to decimate the types. Not only the behavior but also the form of the beak reminded the human being of the falcons. So, the stranglers were classified under the smaller "robbery-birds." Today, the continuance declined in the European settlement-areas considerably, which leading back on the change of the habitats and climatic fluctuations beside the Bejagung as well is.
With the assignment to the "robbery-birds", it had escaped the human being that the food of the stranglers is composed mainly from insects and the birds can therefore - in the economic sense - be useful. Rather, the behavior of the robbery-strangler (Lanius excubitor) fell on the other hand into the eye, that doesn't leave its brood-areas in means and Northern Europe also in the winter, but rather into the proximity of human settlements moves in order to carry off Singvögel here - also spending the winter -. To this, even bigger birds like blackbirds and throttles count. It should not be misjudged beside it that smaller birds and many other small vertebrates are also "beaten" by the big strangler-types all-year.
Characteristics Characteristically for the small ones until moderate-sized stranglers (14-31 cm of length) is its powerful, at the side compressed beak with the strong, downward bent hook at the top of the waiter-beak. The edges of the waiter-beak carry one sharp horn-tooth each moreover on both sides, that is excellently suitable for it, to crack even roughly armored insects. The typical flight-picture of this of the physique ago properly penetrated working birds is decided by the comparatively long, rounded or stepped tail.
Spread, system The modern system divides the family in 4 subfamilies with different spread-areas. While the glasses-stranglers (subfamily Prionopinae) and the bush-stranglers (subfamily Malaconotinae); Exception: Dorntschagra, Tchagra australis from Australia, on the African continent south from the Sahara is limited, the actual stranglers (subfamily Laniinae) are represented in the old world with exception of Australia and New Guinea in large numbers and could populate even habitats of the new world with 2 types. The actual relationship of the bald-head-strangler (Pityriasis gymnocephala, subfamily Pityriasinae), who occurs only on Borneo, still uncertainly is.
Open surfaces, that now and then are interrupted from forests, sterns and individual trees, form the preferred life-areas.
Actual stranglers (subfamily Laniinae)) they include 3 types with 25 types. Stranglers are very differently colored and often drawn quite strikingly despite the mainly covered tones (black, gray, white, bay).
Way of life Some types are to frequently be observed on elevated attendants, of which can crash itself from it on its loot. it consists mainly of insects that reptiles, amphibians, small birds and mice come to it, above all with the bigger types. Other types live hidden and scan its food directly from trees and bushes.
Reputations The stranglers let its chant, that is amazingly quiet for birds of this size, often heard. In general the reputations sound very rough, however, some types have very melodic tone-remarks at their disposal. The warning-reputations are very sharp and are recognized in the same habitat by also many other birds.
Robbery-stranglers The black-and-white-gray gray or robbery-strangler (Lanius excubitor); 24 cm of length, is spread in numerous subtypes far over Europe and North-Africa until means and East-Siberia as well as in North America eastward. In the colder season, only the most northern populations leave its brood-area; the others behave as line-birds or defend, as exception among the stand-birds, also in the winter its brood-precinct as food-precinct.
The robbery-strangler is on the red list of the types threatened by the extinction with us.
Nine-killers The nine-killer or Rotrückige stranglers (Lanius collurio); 17 cm long, almost whole Europe lives in during the incubation as far as into the Mediterranean-countries (without Spain), Asia Minor and west-Siberia. From its hibernation-areas, it arrives in Central Europe only in May and leaves the area in August or beginning already very early September. In Germany, this strangler still is brood-bird at many places and preferred forest-edges, protections and open terrain with bushes and sterns as residence. Often, the nine-killers over years come back away into the same brood-precinct.
Shape In contrast to the other strangler-types, the sexes differ with the nine-killer in the coloring. The male has a light-dawns head and a black eye-strip; the excrement of the female is auburn, the body-flanks carry a wave-drawing.
Way of life The nine-killer falls not only during the Balzzeit through its behavior particularly in the eye. it chooses gladly free outlook-places on not too high trees or bushes, of which lets sound its call from it or is on a lookout for food. Bigger and smaller birds are attacked by the nine-killer "fearlessly" and are expelled from the precinct. Often, it rows severely after all sides with the tail. How all stranglers, also the nine-killer overcomes only unwillingly bigger routes in the flight. So, it flies usually linear to the next Ansitz.
Beside many other insects, the nine-killer carries off also bumble-bees and wasps, whom it catches skillfully in the flight. Before it swallows a wasp, it praises all guts and the thorn-appliance from the rear-body with the beak and wipes everything intolerable at a branch. Often becomes carried off insects or small vertebrates speared in multiplicity side by side - therefore the name "Nine-killer" - on thorns or pointed branches downright. The interpretation of this innate behavior leads to that it either serves the reserve-attitude or the "more comfortable" consumption of the loot. For both possibilities, there are unambiguous hints.
Brood Often, the last year's sex-partners find themselves together renewed. While the male of Nistmaterial here-manages, the female takes over the actual nest-construction. With other strangler-types, the whole job is done by the male. Neglected fence or field-hedges offer suitable nest-locations. The nest is thickly-edge-y, rather big (12-15 cm of diameter) and is linked from stalks, stems and moss firmly. In the padded nest-hollow, 5-6 eggs lie, that are incubated by the female mainly, while the male feeds. If the squabs hatched after 14-16 days, they become from the female of gehudert, and the male feeds alone further at first. Later, both alto-birds bring food. The boys must be looked after still 3-4 weeks after going out further.
The nine-killer is on the red list of the strongly endangered types with us.
Further types An eastern subtype of the nine-killer is the Isabellwürger (Lanius collurio Isabel-Linus), that appears only as Durchzügler or Irrgast in Central Europe. The black-forehead-strangler (Lanius minor) is furthermore in sharing of Europe; 20 cm of length, the mask-strangler, Lanius nubicus; 17 cm, and the redhead-strangler (Lanius senator); 17 cm, represents that rarely broods also in Germany.
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