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Old 08-14-2020, 12:31 AM
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CharlieC CharlieC is offline
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Freeloaders have moved in

Seem to have been acquired as part of the territory for a pair of Grey Butcherbirds. These birds are relatives of the Australian Magpie and are quite clever. Like the Magpies they have distinctive loud territorial calls. Their teamwork in grabbing half a raw chicken drumstick from one of my little dogs was impressive.

The image is the pair of them waiting for their danegeld - if I give them something to eat they don't steal from my dogs.

Regards,

Charlie
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Old 08-14-2020, 02:34 AM
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Some breeds of bird are cleverer than you'd think.
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Old 08-14-2020, 06:44 AM
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Definitely look like magpies.

Don
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Old 08-14-2020, 06:59 AM
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Nice story about the birds. Sometimes you just gotta give in.
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Old 08-14-2020, 07:27 AM
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Almost as sneaky as cats...
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Old 08-14-2020, 01:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Boose View Post
Definitely look like magpies.

Don
Much smaller birds though, about half the size of Magpie. Being Butcherbirds they are meat eaters - the small lizards around my place have been heavily predated.

Regards,

Charlie
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Old 08-14-2020, 02:15 PM
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Florida has a Butcher bird. Smaller even then these guys and looking more like a Mocking Bird. They leave large bugs, lizards and small snakes impaled on thorns or barb wire.
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Old 08-14-2020, 03:22 PM
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The magpies in my area are entirely different, they are much larger than mocking birds and probably scrub jays. They are also black and white, quite striking markings. The ones here (upstate California) have yellow bills and are supposedly only found is this area and their range does not overlap with the black bill variety. They were hit pretty hard by West Nile Virus, but appear to be making a comeback.
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Old 08-14-2020, 04:03 PM
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Apparently the Northern hemisphere Butcher bird is a different family than the Australian ones. According to wikipedia our Butcherbirds are related to Currawongs, the Australian Magpie and a couple of forest birds in PNG. I've never seen my local Butcherbirds do their impaling thing but they do store food in trees (called lardering, I think). I figured my neighbours would be peeved when rotting chicken drumsticks started falling out of their trees which is why I pay the birds off.

At least the Butcherbirds are a change from the tribe of Noisy Miners which have been here for years.

Regards,

Charlie
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Old 08-14-2020, 08:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieC View Post
Apparently the Northern hemisphere Butcher bird is a different family than the Australian ones.
Correct, this is a rather common misnaming. I guess European colonizers, when meeting some unknown animal or plant at America, Africa or the Australasian region, not being scientists (or with the scientific knowledge of centuries ago) just called it the same as a superficially similar European counterpart. For instance, the Australian white-winged chough and magpie-lark are not especially related to choughs, magpies nor larks.
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