The recent paper describing the identifica- tion criteria of the eastern form of Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator niloticus (Rowlands 2010) also summarised the accepted Euro- pean records of this taxon. However, some published Italian records are seemingly not widely known about and this letter seeks to address the status of niloticus in Italy. Row- lands included one old record, a bird col- lected at Messina, Sicily, on 21st April 1915 (see also Iapichino & Massa 1989, Corso 2005). Brichetti & Fracasso (in press) give additional published historical records, as follows: Castelporziano (Roma), without data (Chigi 1912); Bari, April 1875 (Salvadori 1913); and Turin, 2nd May 1885 (skin pre- served at BMNH, Tring; Boano 2007). More recent published records of niloticus in Italy are as follows: adult male, ringed and pho- tographed, at Lampedusa, Pelagie Islands (in the Sicilian Channel), 24th April 1997 (Corso 2005), and another (photographed) there on 9th April 2007 (A. Corso in Ruggieri & Sighele 2008); adult male, photographed, Linosa, Pelagie Islands, 14th April 2005 (H. Larsson in Ruggieri 2005).