Pied Butcherbird

Pied Butcherbird, Cracticus nigrogularis

Considered to be the most melodious song bird in Australia, the Pied Butcherbird can be found throughout almost all of the country. These birds are in some ways similar to the American Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, in that they have adapted well to the urban setting, are aggressive defenders of territory during breeding season, and are therefore often found to swoop and attack passing humans. Also similar to the Northern Mockingbird, these birds can, and often do, mimic the sounds of their environment. They have an amazingly large collection of syllables of which they already use to compose their songs to which to add that mimicry. In identification, this species can often be confused with the black-and-white Australia Magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, and the Magpie-Lark (or Pee Wee), Grallina cyanoleuca. The Pied Butcherbird has much larger beak than that found on the Pee Wee, and has a white-chest instead of the black-chest of the Australia Magpie.

These two birds were photographed in Townsville, Australia during the breeding season. To find out more information on the song of the Pied Butcherbird, please refer to this research. To hear the beauty of this bird call, check out this particular video.