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22

Black Butcherbird

(Cracticus quoyi)
Alternate name(s): "Rufous Crow-shrike", "Black Crow-shrike"
Aboriginal name(s): Race "rufescens": "galbu" [ngadjon]

Size: 38-44 cm
Weight: 125-220 g; race "spaldingi": 180-220 g; race "rufescens": 125-175 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Black Butcherbird at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "spaldingi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Full-frontal/ventral view of a Black Butcherbird
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Frontal/ventral view of a Black Butcherbird
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2018]

Partly obscured near-lateral view of a Black Butcherbird; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 21 July 2019
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fannie Bay, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Black Butcherbird
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Lateral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2018]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Black Butcherbird
[East Point Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Race "rufescens"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Near-lateral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of A. Lee)
[East Russell, near Cairns, QLD, October 2020]

Lateral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, December 2018]

Dorsal view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Rocky Creek, Cairns, QLD, July 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a rufous-morphology juvenile Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of B. Collett)
[Edge Hill, Cairns, QLD, December 2016]

Black Butcherbird with a begging rufous-morphology juvenile (photo courtesy of B. Collett)
[Edge Hill, Cairns, QLD, December 2016]

Race "jardini"

ADULT

Near-frontal view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gunshot Creek, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mossman, QLD, November 2018]

Lateral view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gunshot Creek, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Black Butcherbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gunshot Creek, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Food, Diet

Black Butcherbird living up to its name, bringing an hapless juvenile Comb-crested Jacana into a tree...
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mossman, QLD, November 2018]

Black Butcherbird living up to its name, wedging a juvenile Comb-crested Jacana in a fork... (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mossman, QLD, November 2018]

Black Butcherbird living up to its name, "butchering" a juvenile Comb-crested Jacana by tearing pieces out of the wedged-in carcass (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Mossman, QLD, November 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blbutch_pb_20191206_2.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Contact call(?) © PB
blbutch_pb_20191206_5.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Contact calls(?), Q&A © PB
blbutch_pb_20180831.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Contact calls(?), Q&A © PB
blbutch_pb_20191206_4.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
"Currawong-like" call © PB
blbutch_pb_20190721.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
"Currawong-like" calls © PB
blbutch_pb_20180831_2.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
"Babbling" © PB
blbutch_pb_20191206_3.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Various (6 foraging in mangrove) © PB
blbutch_pb_20191206.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Various (6 foraging in mangrove) © PB
blbutch_pb_20200415.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Various (going to roost) © PB
blbutch_pb_20200415_2.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Various (going to roost) © PB
blbutch_pb_20180831_3.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Various © PB
blbutch_pb_20210206.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
Various © PB
intract_pb_20180503.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
? (Alarming Spangled Drongo & Magpie-lark) © PB
blbutch_pb_20200319.m4a spaldingi
(Top End, NT)
Immature practising? © PB
blbutch_pb_20180503.m4a spaldingi
(Darwin, NT)
? © PB

More Black Butcherbird sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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