Grey Butcherbird
Encyclopedia
The Grey Butcherbird is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia
. The Grey Butcherbird occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It has a characteristic "rollicking" birdsong
. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in the suburbs of many Australian cities including Sydney and Brisbane. The Grey Butcherbird preys on small vertebrates including other birds.
Other birds in the same family include the Australian Magpie
, the Currawong
s, Woodswallow
s and other members of the Butcherbird
genus Cracticus.
(Cracticus argenteus) and the Black-backed Butcherbird
(Cracticus mentalis). The Silver-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus) from Arnhem Land
and northwestern Australia over to Port Hedland, originally described by John Gould
in 1841, was later deemed to be a subspecies of the Grey Butcherbird. Recently, however, it has again been re-described as a separate species. The Silver-backed Butcherbird has two subspecies C. argenteus argenteus and C. a. colletti. The Black-backed Butcherbird occurs in Australia on the Cape York Peninsula and in Papua New Guinea and has two subspecies.
The black throated Pied Butcherbird
(C. nigrogularis) is thought to be closely related to the white-throated Silver-backed, Black-backed and Grey Butcherbirds.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Grey Butcherbird occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It has a characteristic "rollicking" birdsong
Birdsong
Birdsong may refer to:* Bird vocalization, the sounds of birds* Birdsong , a 1993 novel by Sebastian Faulks* Birdsong, Arkansas, USA* Birdsong , a channel on the UK Digital One digital radio multiplex...
. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in the suburbs of many Australian cities including Sydney and Brisbane. The Grey Butcherbird preys on small vertebrates including other birds.
Other birds in the same family include the Australian Magpie
Australian Magpie
The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
, the Currawong
Currawong
Currawongs are three species of medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the genus Strepera in the family Artamidae native to Australasia. These are the Grey Currawong , Pied Currawong , and Black Currawong . The common name comes from the call of the familiar Pied Currawong of eastern Australia...
s, Woodswallow
Woodswallow
Woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. There is a single genus, Artamus, The woodswallows are either treated as a subfamily, Artaminae in an expanded family Artamidae, which includes the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie, or as the only genus in that family...
s and other members of the Butcherbird
Butcherbird
Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia. Their closest relatives are the three species of currawong...
genus Cracticus.
Taxonomy
Closely related species include the Silver-backed ButcherbirdSilver-backed Butcherbird
The Silver-backed Butcherbird is a small, shrike-like bird. It is almost identical to the Grey Butcherbird of which it considered by some authorities to be a subspecies, C...
(Cracticus argenteus) and the Black-backed Butcherbird
Black-backed Butcherbird
The Black-backed Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea Indonesia, and northern Queensland in Australia.-References:...
(Cracticus mentalis). The Silver-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus) from Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
and northwestern Australia over to Port Hedland, originally described by John Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in 1841, was later deemed to be a subspecies of the Grey Butcherbird. Recently, however, it has again been re-described as a separate species. The Silver-backed Butcherbird has two subspecies C. argenteus argenteus and C. a. colletti. The Black-backed Butcherbird occurs in Australia on the Cape York Peninsula and in Papua New Guinea and has two subspecies.
The black throated Pied Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
The Pied Butcherbird is a medium-sized songbird native to Australia. It grows about 35 centimetres long and the colour of juvenile birds, which are accompanied by their parents, is brown and white as seen in the picture. As they mature their brown feathers are replaced by black feathers...
(C. nigrogularis) is thought to be closely related to the white-throated Silver-backed, Black-backed and Grey Butcherbirds.
Subspecies
The Grey Butcherbird has three subspecies :- C. t. torquatus in south-east Australia.
- C. t. cinereus is restricted to the island of Tasmania.
- C. t. leucopterus is widespread; its distribution stretches from the west to the east coast of Australia.
External links
- Grey Butcherbird videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Grey Butcherbird species information IUCN Red List species information