Blog Archives
Pied Butcherbird singing on the beach
As I walked past this tree, on a grassy patch next to the sea at Port Macquarie, I heard a gentle experimental whistling. I thought it might be a person, but then I heard some bird sounds mixed in. It was a Pied Butcherbird, trying out its repertoire while perched in an Old Man Banksia tree. In the background is the sound of the surf, rather noisy alas.
We don’t see these birds around Sydney, so I’m not familiar with their calls. I wonder if this one is different from most, or perhaps they sing a variety of songs?
Common name: Pied Butcherbird
Scientific name: Cracticus nigrogularis
Approximate length: 33-36 cm
Date spotted: 5 June 2025 (winter)
Location: Town Beach, Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia: 31°25’47.6″S 152°55’09.5″E
Pied Butcherbirds, adult and juvenile
This is just my second sighting of a Pied Butcherbird, and this time I was lucky to see both an adult and a young bird. This was at the Mann River Nature Reserve near Glen Innes, NSW, just off the Old Grafton Road.
Note: Thank you to Sue, who corrected my original thought that the juvenile was a female. As Sue points out in her comment below, the male and female adult birds are very similar in appearance.
Here’s the adult bird:
In the next photo, the view from behind shows the wide white collar that goes all the way round the bird’s neck. I think it’s the same bird as in the previous photo, but I don’t know for sure:
Here’s the young bird, in the same tree:
Common name: Pied Butcherbird
Scientific name: Cracticus nigrogularis
Approximate length: 33-36 cm
Date spotted: 5 July 2024 (winter)
Location: Mann River Nature Reserve in NSW, just off the Old Grafton Road: 29°41’18.3″S 152°05’56.6″E
Mann River makes a pretty picture, meandering around grey-white rocks and surrounded by natural forest:
Pied Butcherbird makes 3 out of 4
There are four types of Butcherbird in Australia: Grey Butcherbirds, Black Butcherbirds, Black-backed Butcherbirds, and Pied Butcherbirds. Grey Butcherbirds are common on Australia’s east coast, where I live. I’ve seen a Black Butcherbird when travelling in the far north of Australia. And now, travelling west of Sydney into the Outback, I spotted a Pied Butcherbird. Three out of four ain’t bad!
The white collar of this bird extends in a straight line, all the way round the back of the neck, whereas the Grey Butcherbird’s collar is narrower and doesn’t go all the way round.
Common name: Pied Butcherbird
Scientific name: Cracticus nigrogularis
Approximate length: 33-36 cm
Date spotted: 21 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Mungo Lodge, Mungo National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°44’31.4″S 143°00’06.1″E
Sydney Birder 