Grey Butcherbird, Ainslie

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Grey Butcherbirds are a regular in Canberra suburbs and bushland, so if you believe it was you are likely to be right. Rather than go on colour pattern, that varies a lot in age / sex, the species is easy to pick by its shape (or call). The big head and big hooked beak are distinctive, with nothing similar (apart from the rare possibility of a Pied Butcherbird) coincidentally reported yesterday from "off Barry Drive, where the cherry van stops".  

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Susanne Gardiner [
Sent: Thursday, 10 October 2013 6:44 PM
To: canberra birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Grey Butcherbird, Ainslie

Hi All

after careful deliberation (and trawling lots of photos on google) I believe I just had an immature Grey Butcherbird on the back fence phone lines in North Ainslie. 

It was quite brown on the back and the tail, did not have a bib, not even a light grey one, but did have the white collar. The crown was rather dark. The rest dirty beige, and a bit mottled on the breast. 

It was harangued by a Crimson Rosella and 3 Red Wattlebirds, so didn't stay long and I only have one blurred photo and one of it's back. 

Susanne