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Grey Butcherbirds - a few observations.

To: "Jill Dening" <>, "Tony Keene" <>
Subject: Grey Butcherbirds - a few observations.
From: "Mike Carter" <>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 15:49:12 +1100
The way of telling the gender of adult Grey Butcherbirds is by the amount of white in the face. In males, there is a well defined large white spot on the lores. In the female, a white line extends from a similar white loral spot backwards under the eye. I have a feeling that this distinction is enhanced with age. Having seen that, you will notice that the colour tones in the male are more intense; blacks are blacker, whites are whiter and the grey is cleaner. I cannot determine the sex of young birds (which are polymorphic), until they are over one year old. Neither I nor my wife can tell them apart by call. If you wish to feed them which is great fun, they like pet mince bought from a butchers. Each individual has its own perch from which to solicit food as they are fed only on demand. We have been doing this for over twenty years and they do not become dependant and may be absent for weeks at a time as they were this spring. That was because birds breeding in our garden especially Little Wattlebirds, gave them such a hard time! But they're back now with a new youngster and one of last years still hanging on, now identifiable as a female. In previous years it has been a male that wouldn't leave home.

Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza  VIC 3930
Tel  (03) 9787 7136




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