What is a pied butcherbird?
The pied butcherbird is a black-and-white songbird found across much of mainland Australia. It is famous for its beautiful, flute-like song, one of the finest of any Australian bird.
Pied butcherbirds have a black head and throat, white chest and black-and-white wings. They have a strong grey and black hooked bill, which they use to catch insects, lizards, mice and small birds.
Their name comes from their habit of wedging prey into a tree fork or impaling it on a thorn or twig, like a butcher hanging meat, so they can tear it into pieces.
A remarkable singer
Pied butcherbirds sing rich, melodic phrases, often in duets or groups. Musicians and researchers have studied their songs because they use patterns similar to human music.
They are common in open woodlands, farmland and suburbs.
Pairs defend territories all year, often helped by young birds from earlier broods. They often sing at night, especially on moonlit nights in spring, and their calls carry over long distances. In the suburbs, butcherbirds can become bold, taking food from picnic tables, but they remain wild birds that are best left to hunt naturally.
Did You Know?
Violinist and researcher Hollis Taylor has spent years recording and transcribing pied butcherbird songs.