The brown shrike ("Lanius cristatus") is a bird in the shrike family that is found mainly in Asia. It is closely related to the red-backed shrike ("L. collurio") and isabelline shrike ("L. isabellinus"). 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. The specific "cristatus" is Latin for "crested", used in a broader sense than in English. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English "scríc", "shriek", referring to the shrill call.