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Butcherbirds are magpie
Magpie

Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family , Corvidae. The names 'jay' and 'magpie' are to a certain extent interchangeable, although this does not accurately reflect the evolutionary relationship between these birds....
-like bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
. Their closest relatives are the Australian magpie
Australian Magpie

The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It is closely related to the butcherbirds and currawongs of the family Artamidae....
 and the three species of currawong
Currawong

Currawongs are medium-sized passerine birds of the family Artamidae native to Australasia. There are either three or four species . The common name comes from the call of the familiar Pied Currawong of eastern Australia and is Onomatopoeia....
. Together they form the subfamily Cracticinae in the family Artamidae
Artamidae

The family Artamidae gathers together 20 species of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia and nearby areas.There are two subfamilies: Artaminae, the woodswallows, are sombre-coloured, soft-plumaged birds that have a brush-tipped tongue but seldom use it for gathering nectar....
 which also contains the woodswallow
Woodswallow

Woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds found in Australia and the islands nearby. Given their moderate size—about the same as a Common Starling—and dull plumage, they are amongst the easiest of birds to observe and recognise....
s.

Butcherbirds are mid-sized, growing up to 35cm in length. Their colour ranges from black-and-white to mostly black with added grey plumage, depending on the species.






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Butcherbirds are magpie
Magpie

Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family , Corvidae. The names 'jay' and 'magpie' are to a certain extent interchangeable, although this does not accurately reflect the evolutionary relationship between these birds....
-like bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
. Their closest relatives are the Australian magpie
Australian Magpie

The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It is closely related to the butcherbirds and currawongs of the family Artamidae....
 and the three species of currawong
Currawong

Currawongs are medium-sized passerine birds of the family Artamidae native to Australasia. There are either three or four species . The common name comes from the call of the familiar Pied Currawong of eastern Australia and is Onomatopoeia....
. Together they form the subfamily Cracticinae in the family Artamidae
Artamidae

The family Artamidae gathers together 20 species of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia and nearby areas.There are two subfamilies: Artaminae, the woodswallows, are sombre-coloured, soft-plumaged birds that have a brush-tipped tongue but seldom use it for gathering nectar....
 which also contains the woodswallow
Woodswallow

Woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds found in Australia and the islands nearby. Given their moderate size—about the same as a Common Starling—and dull plumage, they are amongst the easiest of birds to observe and recognise....
s.

Butcherbirds are mid-sized, growing up to 35cm in length. 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 beautiful high-pitched songs of great subtlety.

Butcherbirds are insect eaters for the most part, but will also feed on small lizards and other meat. 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 shrike
Shrike

Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty one species in three genus. The family name, and that of the largest genus, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for butcher, and some shrikes were also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits....
s, 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.

Woodland
Woodland

Ecologically, a woodland is an area covered in trees, usually at low density, forming an open habitat, allowing sunlight to penetrate between the trees, and limiting shade....
s 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 and intelligent, showing little fear and readily taking food offerings to the point of becoming semi-tame
Tame

Tame may refer to:*Taming, the act of domesticating wild animals*River Tame, Greater Manchester*River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley...
, although this practice should not be encouraged. They will often reward these offerings with "thank you" songs. The birds will accept most kinds of scraps, but should only be given food suitable for insectivores such as mealworms and not, for example, bread.

Species

  • Black Butcherbird
    Black Butcherbird

    The Black Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests....
    , Cracticus quoyi
  • Grey Butcherbird
    Grey Butcherbird

    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....
    , Cracticus torquatus
    • Silver-backed Butcherbird Cracticus argenteus (alternately a subspecies of C. torquatus)
  • Hooded Butcherbird
    Hooded Butcherbird

    The Hooded Butcherbird is a species of passerine bird in the Cracticidae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
    , Cracticus cassicus
  • Tagula Butcherbird
    Tagula Butcherbird

    The Tagula Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is Endemism to Papua New Guinea....
    , Cracticus louisiadensis
  • Black-backed Butcherbird
    Black-backed Butcherbird

    The Black-backed Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
    , Cracticus mentalis
  • 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....
    , Cracticus nigrogularis


External links

  • on the Internet Bird Collection