I noted with interest Simon Rowlands’ observation of a Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor feeding red berries to its well-grown chicks in Lanzarote (Brit. Birds 112: 300). The berry in question is almost certainly the fruit of Lycium intricatum, a thorny shrub that is a member of the nightshade family. This plant is widespread in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and indeed it is

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