18th century illustration of a woodchat shrike (Lanius senator), a member of the shrike family Laniidae. The genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for butcher, and some shrikes are also known as butcher birds because of their feeding habits. From Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux d'Afrique (Natural History of Birds of Africa), Volume 2, by Franeois Le Vaillant (1753-1824), published in Paris, France in 1799.