#grey butcherbird

[cutestbabyanimalbracket]

Please vote for whichever animal is cuter, not whichever one you like more!

[dovemoulins]

just realised i forgot to post my bird pics from when i went to an ecology camp in south australia!!! so fun. i have a bunch more so i might do a part 2

[proton-wobbler]

Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)

"Gorgeous, lovely song and adorable little murderbirds that, like the shrike, impale prey on branches to be stored for later." "there's a family of them that visit my house regularly, the mom has a long-term injury to one of her legs but has still managed to succesfully raise like three clutches of babies, she even had triplets this year, and one of their adult daughters has her own mate now who's visited with the daughter, and is still completely tolerated by mom and dad. they also have beautiful songs, they have such full body movements when they sing, and the juveniles love singing their war song all the time! I just really like them, they're cuties :)"

Butcherbirds are not closely related to shrikes, but they do have the same habit of spearing prey onto spines and sticks as a way of saving it for later. Because they catch and eat anything from large invertebrates to small reptiles and birds, this can be a nifty strategy in order to break larger prey into multiple smaller meals.

Wikipedia describes their song as such:

All members of the territorial group contribute to the territorial song, a loud and rollicking song with both musical and harsh elements. The song can be sung by only one member, but more often it is sung in duet or as a group. Some duets are antiphonal where it is not obvious that two or more birds are singing. Most songs are sung with more than one phase and are sung antiphonally. These songs consist of different group members singing different phases sequentially, but sometimes there are some overlap. Some songs have been known to last up to 15 minutes. During this time, there is no vocal interaction with groups from other territories.

Sources:

Image Source: eBird (Jeffrey Crawley)

[ithinkthiswasabadidea]

This little grey butcherbird was preening itself for a good five minutes, right outside the front door

I don't know if it could see me sitting just inside, but I stayed still and tried to get a few photos since I almost never see birds so close in the city, though many of them are desensitised to humans. I could even hear the dry rasp of its flight and tail feathers as it pushed them back into place

[fanby-fckry]

If Alastor had bird traits, what would bird species would they be?

Ooh, this is a good question. Very much in the spirit of random anons. (This is a compliment, I promise.)

My first thought was that it’d have to be something intelligent, something capable of mimicking human speech. Alastor’s voice is very important to him, so I think if he had traits from an animal in a class where some are extremely good at mimicking human speech and some aren’t, he’d be one of the talking ones.

That narrows it down to mostly parrots and corvids, but I’m willing to throw in Australian Magpies (not corvids, despite the name) because they’re such menaces, and I think swooping season is a fun parallel to the fanon idea of Alastor going through rut.

I like the idea that rut isn’t necessarily sexual for Alastor, that he just gets extra combattive and irritable. It’d be similar for swooping. He wouldn’t be protecting offspring or a mate, he’d just get extra territorial about his radio tower for no apparent reason, snatching up any demons who get too close.

Now, back to corvids and parrots.

For parrots, I narrowed it down to two species based on intelligence and speech, as well as the additional criteria of having some red on them, somewhere. This leaves us with African Grey Parrots (red tail feathers) and Scarlet Macaws (mostly red).

But deer aren’t exactly red, so I don’t think that should exclude our next contestants, the American Crow, the Fish Crow and the Chihuahuan Raven.

One of my favorite things about Alastor being a deer is that the particular species I believe him to be (a White Tailed Deer) is native to Louisiana. Now, you’re not exactly going to find Australian Magpies, African Greys, or Scarlet Macaws flying around in Louisiana unless somebody’s pet got loose.

Meanwhile, American Crows, Fish Crows (the two species of crows most often observed mimicking human speech) and Chihuahuan Ravens are all birds that Alastor would’ve been fairly likely to encounter during his lifetime.

And then, after all that research, I remembered the existence of the shrike…

The Loggerhead Shrike fits none of my original criteria, but is native to Louisiana and is famous for hunting prey that is sometimes as large or larger than they are and impaling them on sticks.

You see this bird?

This bird is a serial killer.

Ok, so that’s anthropomorphizing a bird that’s really just hunting to eat, like most carnivores do, but like. If you know this bird, you know I’m not wrong.

They’re nicknamed the butcherbird, and they’ve fucking earned it.

Bonus points for two of their common prey items being spiders and snakes, for all your RadioDust, RadioApple, and RadioSnake needs, platonic or otherwise.

I have some choice sections from their wikipedia page that I’d like to include, but I’m putting them below the cut in case anyone’s squeamish about details of animal death in a predator-prey context.

Loggerhead shrikes have been repeatedly observed killing prey larger than themselves by spearing the neck or head of the animal and twisting. The speed at which this occurs causes a whiplash injury to the animal. The neck strength of the shrikes compensates, making their talon weakness inconsequential.

Although loggerhead shrikes are passerines, they are a predatory species that hunt during the day. They primarily eat insects, but also consume arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, bats and small birds. They have even eaten venomous snakes such as the water adder. The size of prey ranges from 0.001 g (3.5×10−5 oz) insects to 25 g (0.88 oz) mice or reptiles.

They are not true birds of prey, as they lack the large, strong talons used to catch and kill prey. Instead, they are sit-and-wait hunters that stalk prey by hawking and diving from elevated perches.

Due to the shrike's small size in proportion to the size of its prey, it must rely on specialized adaptations to facilitate its hunting. The powerful, hooked beak of the loggerhead shrike allows it to sever the neck of a small vertebrate. Larger prey are subjected to impaling, in which they are pushed down into a sharp projection, such as a thorn or barbed wire. The bird can then tear off flesh by using the projection as an anchor. The shrike may also use the thorn to fasten and store its food to return to at a later time.

The motion of impalement appears to be instinctive, as parent shrikes do not demonstrate the behavior to their nestlings.

Yeah, I think we have a winner here, folks.

[datuizm]

Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus )

[unicyclehippo]

getting very into BIRDS for card/present giving recently. the second one isn’t finished yet but it is a present for my opa who doesn’t have a birdbath in his garden anymore & misses his birds. i am sure that some of these he wouldn’t have had in his garden but I’ve included: a kookaburra, naturally; a crimson rosella; a common myna; a grey butcherbird; & just for fun bc i think they’re silly looking, a crested pigeon & a stone-curlew

[studylatin]

A tiny grey butcherbird illustration (for my partner)!

[darklypuppy]

I think the name for a juvenile grey butcherbird should be "a grump".

Also literally the first thing I’ve ever posted here after years of lurking so no idea what I’m doing or how to add alt text.

[cutestbabyanimalbracket]

All round one results are in! Let's say congratulations to our winners, listed from widest to narrowest margin:

72.3 points: Snow Leopard, defeated Grey Butcherbird

68.3 points: Striped Skunk, defeated Australian Pelican

66.4 points: Piping Plover, defeated Keel-Billed Toucan

59.8 points: Black Footed Cat, defeated Barnacle Goose

58.7 points: Masked Lapwing, defeated Eastern Red Bat

58.1 points: Egyptian Fruit Bat, defeated American Bullfrog

53.9 points: Tawny Frogmouth, defeated Star-Nosed Mole

51.8 points: Sea Otter, defeated Australian Magpie

51.0 points: American Alligator, defeated Inchworm

50.5 points: Asian Elephant, defeated Silkworm

50.2 points: Southern Pudu, defeated American Black Bear

49.2 points: Least Weasel, defeated Crayfish

44.7 points: Mini Lop Rabbit, defeated Domestic Guinea Pig

42.9 points: Great Purple Emperor, defeated Pygmy Seahorse

42.2 points: Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec, defeated Tardigrade

42.2 points: White-Tailed Deer, defeated Dumbo Octopus

41.4 points: Pygmy Goat, defeated Arctic Tern

36.8 points: Veiled Chamaeleon, defeated Barn Owl

36.2 points: Leopard Gecko, defeated Orca

34.8 points: Harp Seal, defeated African Forest Buffalo

27.0 points: Spectacled Flying Fox, defeated Gerenuk

26.1 points: Ball Python, defeated Okapi

25.1 points: Wild Boar, defeated Red Fox

22.9 points: Killdeer, defeated English Shorthorn

18.4 points: Clouded Leopard, defeated Capybara

16.4 points: South American Coati, defeated Ribbon Eel

15.6 points: Spotted Hyena, defeated Platypus

15.4 points: Tree Swallow, defeated Wild Turkey

12.4 points: Orchid Mantis, defeated Pygmy Slow Loris

8.7 points: Fairy Penguin, defeated Pygmy Hippo

5.4 points: Giant Pacific Octopus, defeated Aardwolf

2.1 points: Australian Owlet-Nightjar, defeated Spectral Tarsier

I'm gonna take at least a day or two before queueing up round 2. Unless I receive overwhelming feedback otherwise, I will again use a random number generator for the matchups, and use the same graphics (with taxonomic info) for each animal. However,

[echolaliaplayer]

look at this sick grey butcherbird

Apparently these birds can get conjunctivitis! When I first encountered this one, I thought it may have lost an eye. The disease explanation is a lot more likely, and it can cause blindness :( I don't think I could have caught it and helped though, they are related to Australian magpies and enough said

[proton-wobbler]

Duplicate Submissions

Alright, here is the list of duplicate birds that were submitted to this poll:

American Robin, Canada Goose, Dovekie, Eurasian Jay, Hoatzin, Blue-bellied Roller, Smew, Hoopoe, Dark-eyed Junco, Painted Bunting, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Rifleman (Titipoumano), Archeopterix, Hooded Crow, Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Lapwing, European Starling, Steller's Jay, Great Auk, Eclectus Parrot, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Spotted Towhee, Resplendent Quetzal, Vermilion Flycatcher, Kaua'i O'o, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Hooded Pitohui, Rainbow Bee-eater, Long-tailed Tit (Shima Enaga), Sunbittern, Varied Thrush, Pied Currawong, Rock Pigeon, Domestic Chicken, Northern Gannet, Diederik Cuckoo, Yellow-headed Picathartes, Temminck's Tragopan, Greater Lophorina, Parotia, Grey Butcherbird, Green Jay, Horned Screamer, Magnificent Frigatebird, Spinifex Pigeon, Gorgeted Puffleg, Zebra Dove, Common House Martin, Swordbill Hummingbird, Greater Roadrunner, Rufous-crested Coquette, Wallcreeper, Racket-tailed Roller, Himalayan Monal, Crested Pigeon, Inaccessible Island Rail, Brown Creeper, Tufted Titmouse, White Wagtail, Bobolink, Shoebill Stork, Australian Brushturkey, black-throated magpie-jay, Greater Blue-eared Starling, spangled cotinga

This list will continue to be updated, but I'm not going to pin it to the top since technically these guys are not the focus of the poll (I just think they're neat :3). The tag placed on pics of these birds is ELIMINATED, as someone asked about tagging them and I figured out how to use the Mass Post Editor >:3

[xlntwtch2]

from wiki: (need to know - how big are they? more about them..)

"Shrikes are medium-sized birds with grey, brown, or black-and-white plumage. Most species are between 16 cm (6.3 in) and 25 cm (9.8 in) in size; however, the genus Corvinella, with its extremely elongated tail-feathers, may reach up to 50 cm (20 in) in length. Their beaks are hooked, like those of a bird of prey, reflecting their carnivorous nature; their calls are strident.

Male shrikes are known for their habit of catching insects and small vertebrates and impaling them on thorns, branches, the spikes on barbed-wire fences, or any available sharp point. These stores serve as a cache so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions at a later time.[8] The primary function of conspicuously impaling prey on thorny vegetation is however thought to be for males to display their fitness and the quality of the territory held to prospective mates.[9] The impaling behavior increases during the onset of the breeding season.[10] Female shrikes have been known to impale prey, but primarily to assist in dismembering prey.[11] This behaviour may also serve secondarily as an adaptation to eating the toxic lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera. The bird waits 1–2 days for the toxins within the grasshopper to degrade before eating it.[12]...."

according to wiki, "butcherbirds" are only distantly related to shrikes

Wasn't there like... A bird that killed mice by crucifying them on a branch?

they typically kill the mouse BEFORE they spike it, but yes!

the entire family of shrikes is a motley collection of songbirds that have evolved sideways into carnivory- they'll kill and eat just about anything smaller than they are, which includes rodents like mice, smaller birds, and even reptiles like snakes and lizards!

which they then promptly impale on the closest sharp thing.

this war-crimey habit has earned them the name butcherbird across most of their range. the shrikes do this partly for storage (a shrike that is very good at shriking can have an entire thornbush full of tiny corpses!), but also because, well.

they've got the raptor beak down, but they haven't quite managed to figure out the talons yet.

sticking their prey in place keeps it still so that they can pull off chunks small enough to swallow!

basically the same way humans use those fancy ham stands.

these things.

and now you know! here's a picture of one being silly to wash the taste of small animal death out of your mouth.

[kholden83]

Very embarrassing moment just now.

I said "hello peewee" to a small black and white bird while not wearing my glasses (I'd been wearing my prescription sunnies, and I'd taken them off to stand in the shade) and someone fucking corrected me. It was a grey butcherbird.

[rhyperographer]

I would like to suggest the following:

Superb fairy-wren (male left, female right)

Rainbow lorikeet

Crimson rosella

Blue faced honeyeater

Grey butcherbird

Green catbird

Pied currawong

Sulpher crested cockatoo

Galah

lahore pigeons are some of the most visually appealing birds out there. like in terms of visual design. very minimalist, good contrast.