Black Butcherbird
Melloria quoyi· 燕鵙科(1 photos)
Photographed In:
Black Butcherbird
40-44 cm. Powerful black butcherbird with massive, finely hooked silver-blue bill, tipped black; tail large. Immature of rufous morph of race rufescens: deep rufous with paler streaks and fine black bars below (both plumages may occur in same brood). Singles, pairs, family parties: hunts on edges of rainforest, mangroves.
- Voice
- rich, deep, organ-like: 'choi', chopped short; rollicking, deep, butcher-bird yodel.
- Habitat
- rainforests, monsoon forests, coastal scrubs, paperbarks, mangroves; well-treed parks, gardens.
- Breeding
- Oct.-Jan.
- Nest
- untidy, of sticks, twigs; in upright fork to c. 6 m high.
- Eggs
- 3-4 (5); cream-brown/grey-green, spotted brown, dark grey.
- Range & Status
- coastal n. and ne. Aust. and islands: from Port Keats (NT)-Top End-Arnhem Land, inland c. 50 km on rivers. C. York Pen. (Q) s. to Archer R. in w., coastally s. to c. Rockhampton in e. Race rufescens from c. Cooktown s. to c. Ingham-Hinchinbrook I., inland to Atherton Tableland. Fairly common in dense, coastal habitats. Sedentary. Also PNG.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Melloria quoyi spaldingi 2. Melloria quoyi jardini 3. Melloria quoyi rufescens 4. Melloria quoyi alecto
