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General Information
 Description: The adult Grey Butcherbird has grey wings, with large
areas of white and the underneath is white. It has a grey back with a thin
white collar and a black crown and face. It has a large grey and black
bill, with a small hook at the tip of the upper beak. Their eyes are dark
brown and the legs and feet are dark grey. Grey Butcherbirds measure
from 24cm to 30cm, and both sexes are coloured the same, but females
are slightly smaller than the males.
Young Grey Butcherbirds look
like their parents, but have an olive brown colour where the adult has black
areas. The bill often lacks the hook and is completely dark grey. They are
sometimes mistaken for small kingfishers.
Voice:
The song is a lovely rich piping sound and they can mimic other sounds and
bird cries. Some of their notes are harsher. Often the male and female will
sing a duet of a variety of loud, musical whistling notes. Although the
calls of this bird are loud and musical, they are not as strong or clear as
the pied butcherbird.
Habitat:
Grey Butcherbirds are found in many different wooded areas, including the
suburbs. In inland areas, the birds prefer the denser forests. They range
from mid-eastern Queensland, through Southern Australia to Northern Western
Australia. An isolated population is found in the Kimberley and the
northernmost parts of the Northern Territory and they are also found in
Tasmania.
 Food:
Grey Butcherbirds are aggressive predators which prey on small animals,
including other birds, lizards and insects, as well as some fruits and
seeds. They often store food which is uneaten in the fork or a branch or it
is impaled. Grey Butcherbirds sit on an open perch and search for prey and
once it is sighted, they pounce. Most moving prey is caught on the ground,
though small birds and insects may be caught while they are flying. Grey
Butcherbirds normally feed by themselves or in pairs or in small
family groups.
Breeding:
Grey Butcherbirds breed from July to January and they make a bowl-shaped
nest of sticks and twigs, lined with grasses and other soft materials. The
nest is usually made in a vertical fork of a tree, within 10m of the ground.
As parents they will fiercely defend intruders from their nest. They will
attack and snap with their sharp, hooked bills. The female lays 3 to 5
eggs and she sits on them. They hatch after about 25 days. However, the
young birds are fed by both parents, and will leave the nest after 28 days.
The young birds will stay in the breeding area for about a year, and often
help the parents raise the young of the following season.
Reference:
Information - Australian Museum Fact Sheet and various Internet sites.
http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/grey_butcherbird.htm
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