Pied Butcherbird

Scientific Name: Cracticus nigrogularis

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in forest, scrubland and savannah throughout most of the country, excluding Tasmania.

Field Notes: Medium-sized black and white passerine with upright posture. White collar extends completely around the back of the neck. Bill blue with black tip. Grey Butcherbird has grey wings, not black and collar does not extend entirely around neck. Australian Magpie much more gregarious and common, with forward posture, and large white patch on back on neck, not collar.

Personal Notes: Richard had a few sightings of this bird, but we found it harder to photograph.

Grey Currawong

Scientific Name: Strepera versicolor

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in dry savannah and woodland in the southern part of the country.

Field Notes: Large grey passerine with large, stout bill and yellow eye. White tinged wings and tail and white underneath the tail. There are brown and black forms to this species. The black form is similar to, and in some places overlaps with, Pied Currawong, though lacks the white rump of the latter.

Personal Notes: One of the highlights to an otherwise tiresome trip through the Blue Mountains.

Grey Butcherbird

Scientific Name: Cracticus torquatus

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in woodland, scrubland, and urban areas in the southern two-thirds of the continent, exclusive of Tasmania.

Field Notes: Medium-sized passerine with black head, grey back, white breast and neck patch. Bill is large, hooked and blue with black tip. Pied Butcherbird has black back and white collar extending all the way around the neck.

Personal Notes: Our 800th bird!

Pied Currawong

Scientific Name: Strepera graculina

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to eastern Australia where found in forest, woodlands and urban areas.

Field Notes: Large, black bird with thick bill and yellow eye. White in wing, rump, under tail coverts, and tip of tail. Distinctive voice. Often found in large flocks in winter, but breed in isolation. Non-overlapping with Black Currawong. Grey Currawong overlaps in southeastern Australia. It is most commonly grey, but black (or clinking) form lacks white rump.

Personal Notes: Seen at Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens

Australian Magpie

Scientific Name: Gymnorhina tibicen

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in grasslands and artificial landscapes of Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Solomon Islands

Field Notes: Large black and white bird with pale, black-tipped bill and red eye. Magpie-lark smaller with yellow bill and eye. Pied Butcherbird less gregarious with upright posture and white nuchal collar, not patch.

Personal Notes: These birds were much less camera shy in Australia than they are in New Zealand.