Cracticus torquatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Butcherbird sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 346 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 65th most-seen of the 175 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, August and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Butcherbird in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–March, May–July and September–November, 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.
10th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Grey Butcherbird sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 60%), Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Cracticidae
The closest relatives of the Grey Butcherbird that you can see in Great Otway National Park (family Cracticidae) are Australian Magpie (about 70%), Pied Currawong (about 60%) and Grey Currawong (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Butcherbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Otway National Park (346 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.
