Bird species occupying open habitats are subject to constant changes in habitat suitability and availability related to forest colonisation and the frequency of disturbance re-opening their habitats. The Laniidae family is made of open habitat specialists with five out of the six species of shrikes occurring in Europe rapidly declining. Here we quantified the probability of occupancy of the Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis (Vulnerable), an endemic of Mediterranean open habitats, based on multiple-season monitoring data and allowing for imperfect detection. This scheme was carried out by a network of amateur ornithologists every other year from 2013 to 2023 in 213 ± 38 25-ha plots composed of a priori suitable scrubland on the edge of the species distribution in south-eastern France. The probability of detection averaged 0.52 ± 0.03 highlighting the relevance of a multiple-season design for this shy passerine species. The probability of occupancy averaged 0.35 ± 0.02 and only varied slightly between years (between 0.23 ± 0.04 and 0.41 ± 0.07) suggesting a stable population in scrubland over a decade. Shrike occupancy increased with increasing potential solar irradiation received at ground level, a proxy for arthropod prey abundance, and this effect was amplified in plots subject to recent fire. For a plot exposed to median solar irradiation, predicted shrike occupancy averaged 0.26 ± 0.07, 0.44 ± 0.08, and 0.52 ± 0.08 in plots subject to a fire 55 years, 24 years, and 11 years respectively before the survey, (i.e. 10th–50th–90th percentiles, respectively). We also found that increasing distance from human infrastructures increased shrike occupancy. Overall, our results revealed the potential factors responsible for habitat loss in a Vulnerable, open-habitat specialist bird. Secretive species like the Iberian Grey Shrike would benefit from natural habitats kept free from scattered human infrastructures and where natural processes like fire are maintained.