Hooded Butcherbird

Cracticus cassicus

Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies · Passeriformes · Rare

The Hooded Butcherbird (Cracticus cassicus) is a rare woodswallows, bellmagpies, and alli found in 2 countries, weighing about 142 g. The hooded butcherbird is a species of passerine bird in the family Artamidae.

Least ConcernRareEats invertebratesforestcup nest142 g

About the Hooded Butcherbird

The hooded butcherbird is a species of passerine bird in the family Artamidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

Measuring 32–35 cm in length, the male and female are similar in appearance. The plumage is predominantly black and white, the bird bearing a black head, nape and throat, white underparts, rump, and back, and black and white mantle. The tail is black, with a broad white tip. The robust pale bluish-grey bill is hooked and tipped black. The iris is black or dark brown, and the legs and feet are dark grey to black. It can be distinguished from the black-backed butcherbird by its black throat. The hooded butcherbird has a complex fluting song, made up of many varied components.

Where it lives

When to see it

Best months: April, June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in July. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Hooded Butcherbird?
Measuring 32–35 cm in length, the male and female are similar in appearance. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Hooded Butcherbird?
The Hooded Butcherbird is a medium sized bird weighing about 142 g.
Where can you see a Hooded Butcherbird?
The Hooded Butcherbird occurs in 2 countries, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
What birds look similar to a Hooded Butcherbird?
The Hooded Butcherbird is most easily confused with the Black-backed Butcherbird, the Tagula Butcherbird and the Pied Butcherbird.
Is the Hooded Butcherbird endangered?
The Hooded Butcherbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Hooded Butcherbird for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.