Black-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus mentalis) [XC582478]
by Ken Behrens from Waam, Wasur NP, Indonesia (song)
Black-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus mentalis) [XC434290]
by Marc Anderson from Artemis Station, Queensland, Australia (call)
Nest
Shallow, cup-shaped, composed of sticks, lined with strong grass-roots, in the fork of a tree in woodland, up to about 10 meters above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
3 or 4; green-grey, sparingly spotted red-brown and slate; oval; about 27 x 20 mm.
Young
Probably altricial, nidicolous.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
mentalis Salvadori & D'Albertis, 1876 - South-eastern New Guinea.
kempi Mathews, 1912 - Cape York Peninsula, south to near Cooktown and middle and lower Michell Ranges, north-eastern Qld.
Similar Species
Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) which has a black throat, broad, continous white collar and Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) which has a small, incomplete collar and grey back.
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet