The birds are known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey. There are 6 species which have been recorded in Zimbabwe:
- Red-backed shrike, Lanius collurio
- Lesser grey shrike, Lanius minor
- Southern fiscal, Lanius collaris
- Northern fiscal, Lanius humeralis
- Magpie shrike, Corvinella melanoleuca
- White-crowned shrike, Eurocephalus anguitimens