Mystery Butcherbird, Western Australia (1 Viewer)

[Wiganlad]

End of January in Rockingham near Perth, I thought this must be a Grey Butcherbird 'leucopterus' but I can find no photos with black throat band. Any thoughts gratefully received.

 

[Butty]

Maybe pied butcherbird moulting into adult plumage? - throat thus not yet black. Extent of white on tail-tip perhaps also better for that species.

 

[Wiganlad]

A fair suggestion but I can't find any images to show that

 

[Butty]

Closest I can find:

ML612866912 - Pied Butcherbird - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML612866912; © Andy Gee; Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

macaulaylibrary.org

ML614810280 - Pied Butcherbird - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML614810280; © Dennis Devers; Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia

macaulaylibrary.org

ML611860553 - Pied Butcherbird - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML611860553; © Rolo Rodsey; Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

macaulaylibrary.org

 

[Wiganlad]

Closest I can find:

ML612866912 - Pied Butcherbird - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML612866912; © Andy Gee; Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

macaulaylibrary.org

ML614810280 - Pied Butcherbird - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML614810280; © Dennis Devers; Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia

macaulaylibrary.org

ML611860553 - Pied Butcherbird - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML611860553; © Rolo Rodsey; Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

macaulaylibrary.org

Thanks for these Butty. Not sureif they are a match although the left hand one of the pair is close.

 

[Wiganlad]

Thanks to Butty for all your help earlier on this one. I have been having a good look around various sites to find a butcherbird like the one in my photos, but in vain. Can anyone new give any thoughts before I record it as 'unconfirmed Pied Butcherbird'?

 

[Richard Dale]

I'm not sure you need to find an image exactly matching yours - given that the bird is clearly a butcherbird, and that only two species occur in SW Australia, it must be either pied or grey butcherbird. Given that only one of these has a black chest (in adult plumage), and that this species has a pale throat in immature plumage, it is presumably pied butcherbird, as Butty says, moulting into adult plumage. Butcherbirds have an intermediate immature plumage between juvenile plumage and adult, completing a full moult into adult plumage in their second year, at around the time of the adults' complete post-breeding moult - this would tie in with the timing of the photograph, as butcherbirds should be moulting at this time, as would the apparently fresh, adult-type tail feathers.

This sort of plumage pattern might only persist for a day or so, as feathers are quickly replaced and grow, and the transition from juvenile/immature to adult plumage can give rise to various unusual plumage patterns for brief periods - plus photographers, on the whole, don't tend to take/publish photographs of scruffy moulting birds, making examples hard to find online.

The only other clues are the location, which is better for grey butcherbird, as pied is pretty scarce that far south and west (though perhaps immature birds are more prone to wandering?), and the white tips to tail feathers, which to me look a bit better for the more restricted white on grey butcherbird (though as it is in moult, it may be that the outer feathers, which would show the most extensive white tips, are yet to grow - tail moult typically starting with the central pair and moving outward). All that being said, unless you can find evidence of a grey butcherbird showing a black chest, you're left with pied as the only real possibility.

 

[delia todd]

Did you try the Gallery here WL? There's quite a few juvenile/immature Pied Butcherbirds been posted: the easiest way to access them is via the Gallery Search in Opus: Pied Butcherbird - BirdForum Opus

 

[Wiganlad]

Wow! Thank you very much indeed Richard. What a superb explanation and I really appreciate your taking so much time to type it out. And thank you Delia for your advice.