CreatureData

Grey butcherbird

Cracticus torquatus (Latham, 1802)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) is a species in the family Cracticidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 79 g to 88.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
Photo: Tatiana Gerus · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the grey butcherbird

Weight
79 g – 88.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the grey butcherbird live?

Not recorded

What is the grey butcherbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. It occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It is found across southern Australia, but is absent from the deserts of central Australia and the monsoon tropics of northern Australia. It has a characteristic rollicking birdsong. It appears to be adapting well to city living, and can be encountered in the suburbs of many Australian cities including Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Hobart. The grey butcherbird preys on small vertebrates including other birds.

Other birds in the same family include the Australian magpie, the currawongs, woodswallows and other members of the butcherbird genus Cracticus.

From the Wikipedia article “Grey butcherbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grey_butcherbird&oldid=1379919811), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the grey butcherbird sound like?

James Ray · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the grey butcherbird endangered?

The grey butcherbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the grey butcherbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCracticidae
  6. genusCracticus
  7. SpeciesCracticus torquatus (Latham, 1802)

Synonyms Cracticus argenteus, Cracticus argenteus argenteus, Lanius torquatus

Other names and names in other languages (39)
  • Gray butcherbirdEnglish
  • طائر الجزار الرماديArabic
  • carnisser de collarCatalan
  • flétňák šedohřbetýCzech
  • cigfachwr llwydWelsh
  • Grå SlagterfuglDanish
  • GraurückenwürgatzelGerman
  • Graurücken-KrähenstarGerman
  • Graurücken-KrähenwürgerGerman
  • Graurücken-MetzgervogelGerman
  • Graurücken-WürgatzelGerman
  • grizdorsa kraktikoEsperanto
  • Verdugo acollaradoSpanish
  • hall-leigarEstonian
  • huiluvarisFinnish
  • Cassican à collierFrench
  • ogrličasti kuravongCroatian
  • örvös fojtógébicsHungarian
  • Uccello macellaio grigioItalian
  • Gazza chiassosa dal collareItalian
  • Uccello beccaio dal collareItalian
  • ハイイロモズガラスJapanese
  • pilkanugaris fleitininkasLithuanian
  • GrijsrugorgelvogelDutch
  • gråryggslakterfuglNorwegian
  • srokacz szaryPolish
  • verdugo-cinzentoPortuguese
  • Açougueiro-cinzentoPortuguese
  • verdugo-de-colarPortuguese
  • Серая флейтовая птицаRussian
  • Сероспинная флейтовая птицаRussian
  • vrieskavec strakošíSlovak
  • Sivi kasapinSerbian
  • grå törnkråkaSwedish
  • Boz kasap kuşuTurkish
  • Gri Sırtlı KasapkuşuTurkish
  • сорочиця сіроспиннаUkrainian
  • 灰鐘鵲Chinese
  • 灰钟鹊Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the grey butcherbird

Other species in the same genus Cracticus.

CompareGrey butcherbird vs Pied butcherbirdGrey butcherbird vs Black-backed butcherbirdGrey butcherbird vs Hooded butcherbirdGrey butcherbird vs Tagula butcherbird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the grey butcherbird?

An adult grey butcherbird weighs 79 g – 88.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the grey butcherbird endangered?

The grey butcherbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the grey butcherbird?

The grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) belongs to the family Cracticidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-butcherbird

MLA

“Grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-butcherbird.

BibTeX
@misc{grey_butcherbird_2026,
  title = {Grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-butcherbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}