Silver-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus)
About the Silver-backed Butcherbird
The silver-backed butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus) is a small, shrike-like bird. It is almost identical to the grey butcherbird (C. torquatus) of which it considered by some authorities to be a subspecies, C. torquatus argenteus. The species was first described by ornithologist John Gould in 1836 as Cracticus argenteus. The silver-backed butcherbird looks similar to the Grey butcherbird, except its back is lighter and silvery. This species is snappy and fearless, diving at humans and dogs near the nest. It may attack other birds like the spangled drongo or common koel. It is a part-time predator but insects are also taken. It feeds on small lizards such as skinks and mice along with small birds that it snares and plucks out of the sky.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 13 recordings for this species: 9 CC BY-NC-ND · 4 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Australia in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatusrecording
- Pied ButcherbirdCracticus nigrogularisrecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.