Black-backed Butcherbird
Cracticus mentalis
The Black-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus mentalis) is a rare woodswallows, bellmagpies, and alli found in 3 countries, weighing about 77 g. The black-backed butcherbird is a species of bird in the family Artamidae.
About the Black-backed Butcherbird
The black-backed butcherbird is a species of bird in the family Artamidae. It is found in southern New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Like other butcherbirds, the black-backed butcherbird is a stockily built bird with a relatively large head and short wings and legs. It is around 25 cm (10 in) long. Australian birds are smaller than those from New Guinea. Its plumage is predominantly black and white. It has a black head and lores, lower back and wings, with white nape, throat and underparts. The wings feathers are edged with white. The rump and base of tail are grey. The eyes are a dark brown, the legs grey and the bill a pale bluish grey tipped with black, with a prominent hook at the end.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in July. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-backed Butcherbird?
- Like other butcherbirds, the black-backed butcherbird is a stockily built bird with a relatively large head and short wings and legs. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-backed Butcherbird?
- The Black-backed Butcherbird is a medium sized bird weighing about 77 g.
- Where can you see a Black-backed Butcherbird?
- The Black-backed Butcherbird occurs in 3 countries, including Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
- What birds look similar to a Black-backed Butcherbird?
- The Black-backed Butcherbird is most easily confused with the Hooded Butcherbird, the Tagula Butcherbird and the Pied Butcherbird.
- Is the Black-backed Butcherbird endangered?
- The Black-backed Butcherbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-backed Butcherbird for real
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