Grey Butcherbird
Every few days we hear the local Grey Butcherbird calling nearby. From time to time one of them will come into the garden.
Yesterday afternoon I was entertained by one individual calling regularly quite near to the house. This went on for nearly half an hour. I really enjoy hearing its rich, melodious call, especially up close like that.
The resident honeyeaters do not take the same view. Their warning calls indicate that they were upset by the presence of the butcherbird. Perhaps they have eggs or young in a nest somewhere (that I haven’t discovered yet). Grey Butcherbirds take delight in robbing a nest of either eggs or the chicks.
To learn more about this bird and to hear its lovely call, click here.
Here is a photo of a Grey Butcherbird I took some time ago.
Grey Butcherbird
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I also love the call of the Grey Butcherbird - even more so that of the Pied Butcherbird.
I agree with you Alan. The Pied Butcherbird call is absolutely amazing. Sadly we only get that species as an occasional visitor here at my home town of Murray Bridge. I have to go 50km or more north east to see one.
Many years ago I was visiting a friend who lived on the northern outskirts of Kalgoorlie. The bush started across the road. We followed the call of a PB for over an hour until we had good sightings. It was calling all through that time and is something I will not forget. Brilliant.
[...] bird up there… R: Gray like a catbird? M: No R: Gray like a titmouse? M: No R: Gray like a butcherbird?!? M: Maybe.. forget it, it’s only a chickadee. ROBIN: Only a chickadee?!? What do you mean [...]
Hi Trevor, what an interesting bird. Such a beautiful song too. I am curious, how large is this bird? It looks like it might be the size of our jays in the US.
Hi there Larry. Welcome to my blog about Australian birds. Thanks for stopping by and for leaving a comment and question.
The Grey Butcherbird measures 24 - 30 centimetres in size (10-12 inches). It is widespread but uncommon throughout most of Australia except Tasmania where it is common in some parts of its range. (Alan might like to comment on that because I’m only going by a field guide here - I have yet to visit Tassie.).
The Pied Butcherbird is slightly larger but with a different range, though it overlaps with much of the range of the Grey.
The Black Butcherbird is much larger (40-44cm) and is found in northern parts of coastal Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The Black-backed Butcherbird is similar in size to the Grey but is found only in far north Queensland on the Cape York Peninsula.
Hi… does this lovely bird attacks you if near nest?
I was walking with daughter at park …it attacked me twice on head and face. Left a big stratch on my face. It was this sort of bird. I was shocked and amazed why this sort of lovely bird attacked me.
I live at Edens landing Queensland. Attack happened at small park and oval at Edens Landing next to train station. I was not the only one who been attacked by this bird at that park.
Cheers
Hi there Leisa - thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences of Australian birds.
I have never heard of Butcherbirds attacking people so your observation is quite interesting. It sent me to my reference books and your experience is not uncommon - they do swoop and attack people. So I have learned something new - thank you. I doesn’t surprise me as they are closely related to the notorious Australian Magpie. Except they are smaller. There was probably a nest somewhere nearby.
They obviously can do some damage - as you painfully found out. I hope the wound heals quickly and that there has been no infection.
Now that I think about it - I too have been “swooped” by a butcherbird. I was having a relaxing lunch by Lake Hattah in NW Victoria some years ago. We were enjoying some of the produce of the Ouyen Bakery. A Grey Butcherbird sat on the branch nearby keeping a keen eye on my lunch. I turned my head ever so slightly and it swooped down and took my lovely sandwich out of my hand. Gave me the fright of my life.
At the moment our resident grey butchies are feeding two chicks. They come and sing in the front garden asking to be fed. It took us a little time to realise there were two chicks - we couldn’t understand how one baby was consuming its own body weight in mince
Interestingly most of the feeding is done by the male - the female is much more timid and tends to hide in the malus while the male sits on the gutter or fence post or overhead wires and expects the morsels to be delivered at regular intervals. They are very delightful and are not in the least fazed by the magpies and their babies who also come in to be fed. All this within 14kms of the Melbourne CBD.
I’ve just watched a grey butcher bird butchering a large mouse.
What was most impressive was that, after bringing down the mouse and knocking it about a bit the bird tried to fly off with it. Since the mouse was about the same size as the bird, I though it had no hope. To my surprise the bird dragged the mouse up one of our small trees to a branch, managed to flap over to the handlebars of my bicycle, then (just as I was setting up my camera) launched into a gust and took flight with mouse in beak. Very impressive.
it has alot of infomation about the Grey bucherbird
i love sam my bucherbird
Hi, I have heard that butcher birds attack other birds nests. Is this true?
Hi there Kelly.
Yes - you are correct, but it’s not the nest they are attacking, but rather what is in the nest. They will eat the young nestlings of other birds. On the whole however, they are mainly insectivorous. They will also eat small lizards and chase, catch and eat small birds.
If what they catch is too large to swallow, they will impale their prey on a thorn or twig and use that to hold their food while they tear away smaller bits to eat. Sometimes they might be disturbed and leave a bit behind on the twig. This could have given them their name because it looks like they’ve hung up some meat like a butcher.