Cracticus torquatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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. The grey butcherbird was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Lanius torquatus.
Closely related species include the silver-backed butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus) and the black-backed butcherbird (Cracticus mentalis). The silver-backed butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus) from Arnhem Land and northwestern Australia over to Port Hedland, originally described by John Gould in 1841... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Butcherbird sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 2,767 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, August and November
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Butcherbird in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against about 40% in April–July, September–October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey Butcherbird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Grey Butcherbird sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 60%) and Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Butcherbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Blue Mountains National Park (2,767 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
