Genus Cracticus Rank Species | Scientific name Cracticus torquatus Higher classification Butcherbird Order Passerine | |
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Similar Butcherbird, Bird, Pied butcherbird, Pied currawong, Black‑faced cuckooshrike | ||
Grey butcherbird songs
The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) 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.
Contents
- Grey butcherbird songs
- Grey butcherbird call bird watching with ejbirdwatching
- Taxonomy
- Subspecies
- References
Other birds in the same family include the Australian magpie, the currawongs, woodswallows and other members of the butcherbird genus Cracticus.
Grey butcherbird call bird watching with ejbirdwatching
Taxonomy
The grey butcherbird was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Lanius torquatus.
Closely related species include the silver-backed butcherbird (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.
Subspecies
The grey butcherbird has three subspecies: