Listen to the grey butcherbird
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the grey butcherbird
The grey butcherbird is a bird in the family Cracticidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults weigh around 79 g.
What does the grey butcherbird sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song, insect sounds and call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. It occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It is found across southern Australia, but is absent from the deserts of central Australia and the monsoon tropics of northern Australia. It has a characteristic rollicking birdsong. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in the suburbs of many Australian cities including Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Hobart. The grey butcherbird preys on small vertebrates including other birds.
Other birds in the same family include the Australian magpie, the currawongs, woodswallows and other members of the butcherbird genus Cracticus.
More from the family Cracticidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a grey butcherbird sound like?
You can hear 5 recordings of the grey butcherbird on this page, including its song, insect sounds and call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the grey butcherbird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the grey butcherbird as “least concern”.
What family does the grey butcherbird belong to?
The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) belongs to the family Cracticidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Insect sounds, song · Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains City Council, New South Wales by James Ray – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Cracticus torquatus - Grey Butcherbird by James Ray – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call, song · Beaconsfield, Council of the City of Sydney, New South… by James Ray – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Sonus naturalis - Soundscape by James Ray – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Sonus naturalis - Soundscape by James Ray – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q974220 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Grey butcherbird – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Tatiana Gerus – CC BY 2.0