Genus: Cracticus
Description
Butcherbirds are found in Australia and New Guinea. They share:
- Distinctive, strong, bluish-grey bills, slightly hooked at the tip
- Their habit of impaling captured prey on a thorn, tree fork, or crevice (giving them the name Butcherbird)
- Relatively long wings and tail
- Almost no sexual dimorphism in plumage (but in size, males are larger)
Taxonomy
Cracticus is a genus in the family Artamidae but has previously been placed in family Cracticidae.
The Australian Magpie is sometimes included in this genus.
Grey Butcherbird, Black-backed Butcherbird and Silver-backed Butcherbird have sometimes been placed in the genus Bulestes, Black Butcherbird in Melloria.
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| C. mentalis | Black-backed Butcherbird | ||
| C. torquatus | Grey Butcherbird | ||
| C. argenteus | Silver-backed Butcherbird | ||
| C. cassicus | Hooded Butcherbird | ||
| C. louisiadensis | Tagula Butcherbird | ||
| C. nigrogularis | Pied Butcherbird | ||
| C. quoyi | Black Butcherbird | ||
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cracticus. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 October 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cracticus
Pages in category ‘Cracticus’
The following 7 pages are in this category, out of 7 total.
