Pied currawong

Strepera graculina

Photo by Chris Chafer (Flickr)

Common name:
pied currawong (en); verdugo-malhado (pt); grand réveilleur (fr); verdugo pío (es); dickschnabel-würgerkrähe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Artamidae

Range:
This species is endemic to eastern Australia, being found from northern Queensland to Victoria and marginally into South Australia.

Size:
These birds are 44-51 cm long and have a wingspan of 56-77 cm. They weigh 280-320 g.

Habitat:
The pied currawong is mostly found in both moist and dry sclerophyll forests, tropical forests, and savannas, but also in scrublands, arable land and within urban areas.

Diet:
They are omnivorous and opportunistic, taking a wide variety of food such as small lizards, insects, caterpillars, young birds and eggs, fruits and berries.

Breeding:
Pied currawongs breed in July-January. The female builds the nest, a bowl of sticks, lined with grasses and other soft material, placed in a fork in a tall tree, up to 20 m above the ground. There she lays 3 brown to rufous-brown eggs with grey and brown spots and blotches. The female incubates the eggs alone for 21 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 30 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as abundant. Population increases have been noted in urban areas probably owing to the increased food supply available 

Grey butcherbird

Cracticus torquatus

Photo by Phil Guerney (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
grey butcherbird (en); verdugo-cinzento (pt); cassican à collier (fr); verdugo acollarado (es); graurücken-metzgervogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cracticidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found from mid-eastern Queensland, through southern Australia, including Tasmania, to northern Western Australia. There is an isolated population in the Kimberley and the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory.

Size:
Grey butcherbirds are 24-30 cm long and weigh 80-110 g.

Habitat:
These birds are found in a range of wooded habitats, including dry and moist tropical forests, swamp forests, temperate forests and dry savannas. They are also found in dry scrublands, agricultural areas and within urban areas.

Diet:
They are aggressive predator, taking a wide range of small animals including birds, lizards, insects and mice. They also eat fruits and seeds. Uneaten food is often stored in a fork or branch or impaled.

Breeding:
Grey butcherbirds are monogamous, territorial nesters. They breed in July-January and the nest is a bowl made of sticks and twigs, lined with grasses and other soft fibres. It is placed in a fork in a tree, up to 10 m above the ground. The female lays 3-5 brownish-green eggs with reddish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 22-25 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 28 days after hatching, but remain in the parental territory for up to 1 year, sometimes helping raise the next clutch.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The trend direction for this population is difficult to determine owing to the positive and negative processes affecting the species. Some populations are known to be declining due to forest clearance.

Pied butcherbird

Cracticus nigrogularis

Photo by Michael Schmid (Wikipedia)

Common name:

pied butcherbird (en); verdugo-de-peito-preto (pt); cassican à gorge noire (fr); verdugo gorjinegro (es); schwarzkehl-metzgervogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Cracticidae

Range:

The pied butcherbird is found throughout the Australian mainland, with the exception of most of the southern and south-eastern coastline, and the more arid areas of the inland. It is absent from Tasmania.

Size:

These birds are 32-38 cm long and weigh 140-150 g.

Habitat:

They are mostly found in dry woodlands, coastal scrub and treed farmland. They can also be found in urban parks and gardens.

Diet:

These aggressive feeders prey on small reptiles, mammals, frogs and birds, as well as large insects.

Breeding:

The breeding season of the pied butcherbird varies throughout its large range. The female constructs the nest, a bowl of sticks and twigs, lined with grasses and other finer material. It is usually built in an upright tree fork up to 5 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-5 eggs which she incubates alone for 21 days. The chicks fledge 30 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common over this range. The trend direction for this population is difficult to determine owing to the positive and negative processes affecting the species, but it is not considered threatened at present.