The past few months i've seen a butcher bird hanging around my house. I had never seen one in my area before then (took a while to come; i got my budgies April 2005). He usually hangs around my window where my budgies are. I feel sorry for the poor butcher bird in a weird sort of way because he tries to jump into my window to 'get' my budgies. My budgies are quite cool about it really; one of them, Gumnut (the more adventurous one) jumped on the window sill and looked at him (the butcher bird) once.

It's funny really, the butcher bird still comes to visit every couple of days.

 

Must be the season for it - a bit nasty one turned up at my place on the weekend! Today it was on the balcony looking in at my babies, but on the weekend it was hanging around the backyard when I had the birds outside with me. It wasn't easily scared away either :hap: (...even with my useless cat trying her best to look menacing )

Must be the season for it - a bit nasty one turned up at my place on the weekend! Today it was on the balcony looking in at my babies, but on the weekend it was hanging around the backyard when I had the birds outside with me. It wasn't easily scared away either :hap: (...even with my useless cat trying her best to look menacing )

 

They're pretty brave...we have some very territorial noisy miners and magpies that hang around our place. We get stacks of doves too but they'd be more scared of my budgies than my budgies of them. I've been seeing the butcher bird since about June/July...there only ever seems to be one of them, i guess that's how they hunt. Actually, i saw the miners hanging around my window (where my budgies are) today...maybe they think the butcher bird has a good idea.

We get quite a few butcher birds.

My neighbour built a larger box made from chicken wire to put his budgie cage inside. The butcher birds killed his other budgie by stabbing it through the bars of the budgie cage when the cage was hanging outside.

i have no idea what a butcher bird is, is this a type of bird only found over in your parts?

i have no idea what a butcher bird is, is this a type of bird only found over in your parts?

 

 

This might help. I don't think the butcher bird I know is the same thing in Australia as it is in the UK. It might be related though, I'm not sure. The one I'm familiar with - the Red-backed Shrike - is native to North America as well as much of Europe, though, so you might get them where you are.

 

Here's a picture I found - I presume this is what folks in Oz are talking about?

 

 

 

Here's a link to some info and a picture of a Red-backed Shrike that I'm familiar with in the UK a.k.a. the 'Lesser Butcher Bird'.

 

Red-backed Shrike

 

It sounds like the two are fairly similar if they're not related - pay particular attention to feeding habits and what they do with their food. Eugh!

Edited October 31, 200618 yr by Janette

I don't even know if I've ever seen them here in Western Australia. if they are here, I must be blind!! (Laughing out loud)

I found a picture for a grey butcherbird

 

 

 

From wikipedia

 

The Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) is a bird native to Australian mangroves. The Grey Butcherbird is found in all state and territories and has a well liked birdsong. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in urban Sydney.

 

Other birds in the same family include the Australian Magpie and the Pied Butcherbird.

 

Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia.

 

Butcherbirds are mid-sized, growing up to 35cm in length. Their colour ranges from black-and-white to mostly black, with added grey plumage, depending on the species. They have a large, straight bills with a distinctive hook at the end which is used to skewer prey. They have beautiful songs of great subtlety.

 

Butcherbirds are insect eaters for the most part, but will also feed on small lizards and other meat. They get their name from their habit of hanging captured prey on a thorn, tree fork, or crevice. This "larder" is used to support the victim while it is being eaten, to store prey for later consumption, or to attract mates.

 

Butcherbirds are the ecological counterparts of the shrikes, which are unrelated but share the “larder” habit. The shrikes are also sometimes called “butcherbirds”.

 

Female butcherbirds lay one or two eggs in a clutch. The young will remain with their mother until almost fully grown. They tend to trail behind their mother and "squeak" incessantly while she catches food for them.

 

Woodlands are the butcherbird's natural habitat, but like many similar species they have adapted well to urbanisation and can be found in leafy suburbs throughout Australia. They are opportunistic and intelligent, showing little fear and readily taking food offerings to the point of becoming semi-tame, although this practice should not be encouraged. They will often reward these offerings with "thank you" songs. The birds will accept most kinds of scraps, but should only be given food suitable for insectivores such as mealworms and not, for example, bread.

 

Hope that helps.

I don't even know if I've ever seen them here in Western Australia. if they are here, I must be blind!! (Laughing out loud)

 

 

The first time i ever saw one was this year.

That's it! I have had this bird hanging about the backyard for a couple of months now. I tried finding out what it was and couldn't and then in this thread there's a picture! The Grey Butcherbird! He comes to try to steal the dogs food and I was worried for my birds because of that nasty looking hook on the end of his beak.

One good thing though is the dogs are constantly chasing him away.

I know the butcher bird that hangs around my house is a Pied Butcher bird - we checked in a bird book.

yep, they're real cheeky, we used to have one come in for afternoon tea every arvo with the kookaburras and magpies- you can throw some meat up and they swoop down and get it. We tried to outsmart it heaps by throwing it fast in different directions but they alwasy caught it- very acrobatic.