Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
About the Grey Butcherbird
The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. It occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It is found across southern Australia, but is absent from the deserts of central Australia and the monsoon tropics of northern Australia. It has a characteristic rollicking birdsong. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in the suburbs of many Australian cities including Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Hobart. The grey butcherbird preys on small vertebrates including other birds. Other birds in the same family include the Australian magpie, the currawongs, woodswallows and other members of the butcherbird genus Cracticus.
A real field recording of the Grey Butcherbird. Press play and focus on the rhythm and pitch of each phrase.
Listen
Our streaming copies are mirrored from the original xeno-canto file and transcoded to 96 kbps mono — a modification, so we note it here; the licence for each recording is named in its credit below.
3 recordings on this page · licensed CC BY-SA ×3 · mirrored on this server, free for commercial reuse · recorded in Australia · xeno-canto lists 151 recordings for this species in total.
Similar species
- Black-backed ButcherbirdCracticus mentalisprofile
- Hooded ButcherbirdCracticus cassicusprofile
- Pied ButcherbirdCracticus nigrogularisrecording
- Silver-backed ButcherbirdCracticus argenteusprofile
- Tagula ButcherbirdCracticus louisiadensisprofile
Species grouped by shared genus, family and range.