Is this a type of Butcherbird?

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marktaniaphillips
marktaniaphillips's picture
Is this a type of Butcherbird?

This bird was mostly white with tan colour.  It sounded like a butcherbird and it behaved like one as well.  Quite tame.   What is it.

Shirley Hardy
Shirley Hardy's picture

It is a juvenile Pied Butcherbird. I've been fortunate to encounter, photograph and video record Pied Butcherbirds as well as other bird species in my area (Tenterfield, NSW). The juvenile you took a photo of should still be with it's parents. It will take a few months for the bird in your photo to start getting black feathers but you should see the changes over time if it is a frequent visitor to your garden. 

To help you further identify this bird as a Pied Butcherbird, take note of the brown colouration below it's throat going down it's chest. It forms a bib shape. All the brown feathers will eventually turn black but will go grey first before turning black. 

I'm at Tenterfield, NSW. (Formerly known as "Hyperbirds".)

zosterops
zosterops's picture

a leucistic bird, white wings and back. juv would be darker. 

a random mutation involving the loss of pigments, quite rare (though it seems to happen with some regularity with aust. magpies, a related species). 

Elsie
Elsie's picture

Wow! What an interesting find. As Zosterops says, a leucistic butcherbird!

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