Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean

This paper reports on sightings of a Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. The bird was seen opposite the Christmas Island golf course in a coastal thicket ( Pandanus sp.) from 28 December 1996 to 3 January 1997. The Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC, case number 299) has accepted this record as the first of this species in an Australian territory. Notes on its identification are presented.