Silver-backed Butcherbird

1. The silvery-gray back that's significantly paler than other butcherbird species.

2. Black chin and "necklace" extending onto the breast.

3. Listen for their unhurried, melodious song with mellow ringing notes.

These clever hunters breed at the end of the dry season (August-September), building untidy bowl-shaped nests of twigs lined with grass. They're often spotted in family groups where young birds from previous seasons may help parents with raising new chicks. Silver-backed Butcherbirds maintain year-round territories.

Silver-backed Butcherbirds inhabit Northern Australia's riparian corridors and forest edges. Look for them perched in paperbarks (Melaleuca) and other trees along creeks and rivers, particularly in the Northwest. They're most active during early morning and late afternoon, when their musical calls carry through the landscape. These birds prefer vantage points in the mid-story of trees where they patiently watch for prey below. If you're exploring gorges or creek lines in northern Australia, pause near flowering trees that attract smaller birds – butcherbirds may be watching too.