Butcherbird

For other uses, see Butcherbird (disambiguation).

Butcherbird
Butcher bird calling in Sydney, Australia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Artamidae
Genus:	Cracticus Vieillot, 1816
Species
C. quoyi C. torquatus C. cassicus C. louisiadensis C. mentalis C. nigrogularis C. tibicen

Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia. Their closest relatives are the three species of currawong. Together they form the subfamily Cracticinae in the family Artamidae which also contains the woodswallows.

Butcherbirds are mid-sized, most growing up to 35 cm in length, although the Australian Magpie is larger, at a maximum 43 cm. Their colour ranges from black-and-white to mostly black with added grey plumage, depending on the species. They have a large, straight bill with a distinctive hook at the end which is used to skewer prey. They have high-pitched complex songs.

Butcherbirds are insect eaters for the most part, but will also feed on small lizards and other vertebrates. They get their name from their habit of impaling captured prey on a thorn, tree fork, or crevice. This "larder" is used to support the victim while it is being eaten, to store prey for later consumption, or to attract mates.

Butcherbirds are the ecological counterparts of the shrikes, which are unrelated, but share the "larder" habit; shrikes are also sometimes called "butcherbirds".

Female butcherbirds lay one or two eggs in a clutch. The young will remain with their mother until almost fully grown. They tend to trail behind their mother and "squeak" incessantly while she catches food for them.

Woodlands are the butcherbird's natural habitat but, like many similar species, they have adapted well to urbanisation and can be found in leafy suburbs throughout Australia. They are opportunistic, showing little fear and readily taking food offerings to the point of becoming semi-tame.

Species

• Black Butcherbird, Cracticus quoyi
• Grey Butcherbird, Cracticus torquatus
  • Silver-backed Butcherbird Cracticus argenteus (alternately a subspecies of C. torquatus)
• Hooded Butcherbird, Cracticus cassicus
• Tagula Butcherbird, Cracticus louisiadensis
• Black-backed Butcherbird, Cracticus mentalis
• Pied Butcherbird, Cracticus nigrogularis
• Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen

External links

• Butcherbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection

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  Black butcherbird with the remains of a wing in Cairns, Australia.

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  Eating a rhinoceros beetle