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Black butcherbird
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Artamidae
Subfamily:	Cracticinae
Genus:	Melloria Mathews, 1912
Species:	M. quoyi
Binomial name
Melloria quoyi (Lesson & Garnot, 1827)
Synonyms
Cracticus quoyi

The black butcherbird (Melloria quoyi, also known as Cracticus quoyi) is a species of butcherbird in the family Artamidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.

Taxonomy

Evidence was published in a 2013 molecular study which showed that it was the sister taxon to the Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen). The ancestor to the two species is thought to have split from the other butcherbirds between 8.3 and 4.2 million years ago, during the late Miocene to early Pliocene, while the two species themselves diverged sometime during the Pliocene (5.8–3.0 million years ago).

Description

The adult is black all over except for its beak which is black-tipped grey. Most juveniles are rufous-brown. Confusingly, some juveniles are black while some brown young birds may rarely retain their brown colour into adulthood. As the only butcherbirds with wholly black bodies, they are sometimes confused with crows or currawongs, from which they are distinguished by their gray and hooked bills.

Behavior

In Papua New Guinea, Black butcherbirds have been observed parasitizing the nests of Hooded monarch birds.

In 1903, ornithologist E. M. Cornwall observed brown and black varieties of the bird, the black preferring deeper forest and the brown preferring coastal scrub or mangroves.

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Melloria quoyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22706285A94060435. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22706285A94060435.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
2. Anna M Kearns; Leo Joseph; Lyn G. Cook (5 December 2012). "A multilocus coalescent analysis of the speciational history of the Australo-Papuan butcherbirds and their allies". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (3): 941–952. doi:10.1016/J.YMPEV.2012.11.020. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 23219707. Wikidata Q30047358.
3. Morcombe, Michael (2004). Field guide to Australian birds (2nd ed.). Steve Parish Publishing. ISBN 9781740215596. OCLC 224509314.
4. Campbell, Iain; Woods, Sam (2013). Wildlife of Australia. Princeton University Press. p. 324. ISBN 9781400846825. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
5. Chmel, K (2018). "Predation on artificial and natural nests in the lowland rainforest of Papua New Guinea". Bird Study. 65 (1): 114–122. Bibcode:2018BirdS..65..114C. doi:10.1080/00063657.2017.1420751. S2CID 90067582.
6. Cornwall, EM (1903). "Black butcher-bird". Emu. 3 (1): 58–59. Bibcode:1903EmuAO...3...58.. doi:10.1071/MU903055g.

External links

"Melloria quoyi (Lesson & Garnot, 1827) Black Butcherbird". Atlas of Living Australia.

v t e Genera of corvides and their extinct allies
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Order: Passeriformes Suborder: Passeri Infraorder: Corvides
Corvides Campephagidae Campephaga Campochaera Ceblepyris Celebesica Coracina Cyanograucalus Edolisoma Lalage Lobotos Malindangia Pericrocotus Cinclosomatidae Cinclosoma Ptilorrhoa Eulacestomatidae Eulacestoma Falcunculidae Falcunculus Mohouidae Mohoua Neosittidae Daphoenositta Oreoicidae Aleadryas Oreoica Ornorectes Oriolidae †Longmornis Oriolus Pitohui Sphecotheres †Turnagra Pachycephalidae Colluricincla Coracornis Melanorectes Pachycephala Pseudorectes Paramythiidae Oreocharis Paramythia Psophodidae Androphobus Psophodes Malaconotoidea See below ↓ Corvoidea See below ↓
Malaconotoidea Aegithinidae Aegithina Artamidae Artaminae Artamus Craticinae Cracticus Gymnorhina †Kurrartapu Melloria Strepera Peltopsinae Peltops Machaerirhynchidae Machaerirhynchus Malaconotidae Chlorophoneus Dryoscopus Laniarius Malaconotus Nilaus Rhodophoneus Tchagra Telophorus Pityriasidae Pityriasis Platysteiridae Batis Lanioturdus Platysteira Rhagologidae Rhagologus Vangidae Artamella Bias Calicalicus Cyanolanius Euryceros Falculea Hemipus Hypositta Leptopterus Megabyas Mystacornis Newtonia Oriolia Philentoma Prionops Pseudobias Schetba Tephrodornis Tylas Vanga Xenopirostris
Corvoidea Corcoracidae Corcorax Struthidea Corvidae Aphelocoma Calocitta Cissa Corvus Crypsirina Cyanocitta Cyanocorax Cyanolyca Cyanopica Dendrocitta Garrulus Gymnorhinus †Henocitta †Miocitta †Miocorvus †Miopica Nucifraga Perisoreus Pica Platysmurus Podoces †Protocitta Psilorhinus Ptilostomus Pyrrhocorax Temnurus Urocissa Zavattariornis Dicruridae Dicrurus Ifritidae Ifrita Laniidae Eurocephalus Lanius Melampittidae Megalampitta Melampitta Monarchidae Monarchinae Arses Carterornis Chasiempis Clytorhynchus Grallina Mayrornis Metabolus Monarcha Myiagra Neolalage Pomarea Symposiachrus Terpsiphoninae Hypothymis Terpsiphone Trochocercus Paradisaeidae Astrapia Cicinnurus Diphyllodes Drepanornis Epimachus Lophorina Lycocorax Manucodia Paradigalla Paradisaea Paradisornis Parotia Phonygammus Pteridophora Ptiloris Seleucidis Semioptera Platylophidae Platylophus Rhipiduridae Lamproliinae Chaetorhynchus Eutrichomyias Lamprolia Rhipidurinae Rhipidura Vireonidae Cyclarhis Erpornis Hylophilus Pachysylvia Pteruthius Tunchiornis Vireo Vireolanius

• v
• t
• e

• IUCN Red List least concern species
• Artamidae
• Birds of New Guinea
• Birds of the Northern Territory
• Birds of Queensland
• Birds described in 1827
• Taxa named by Prosper Garnot
• Corvoidea stubs