From Birds of the USSR.

by V. E. Flint, R. L. Boehme, Y. V. Kostin & A. A. Kutnetsov (1984)

Left to Right: Red-backed, Isabelline & Brown Shrikes.

Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)

In males of the Central Asian and Soviet Far Easter races (L. cristatus) top of head, back, wings and tail are clay-brown of various shades; mask brownish. Upperparts of females ochre-brown; underparts whitish with a dark scaly pattern.

Lives in thickets, along open areas, along river valleys, forest edges, in gardens and parks. Migratory. Common. Stays singly and in pairs. Nets in bushes or trees, more rarely on the ground. Lays four to seven pinkish or whitish eggs with brownish spots in May or June. Call a harsh "check-check" and a loud "jaya-jaya".

The taxonomy of the Brown Shrike, Red-backed Shrike and Central-Asian Shrike are still insufficiently clear.

[N.B.: in Russian the species is called 'Sibirski Zhulan', meaning 'Siberian Zhulan'; Zhulan being one of two Russian names for shrike (the other being 'Sorokoput').]