| Description |
gray, black and white bird with an oversize head; heavy hooked bill equipped with a tomial tooth for dispatching prey; distinctive black mask; body is gray above and white below; wings are black, marked with a white patch; narrow black tail with white outer feathers |
| Sex |
both sexes similar in appearance; female plumage somewhat darker; juveniles brownish-white beneath with breast and sides transversely barred with dark grey |
| Age |
unknown in the wild; one study in Illinois recorded a banded bird of 6 years |
| Length |
8-10" |
| Wingspan |
13" |
| Weight |
slightly smaller than a robin; 44-61.10 grams |
| Habitat |
semi-open country with lookout posts, wires, trees and scrub |
| Status |
extinct in 2 states; endangered in 11 states; threatened in 2 others; 3.5% decline per year decline nationwide; 6.3% per year decline in Missouri |
| Range |
southern Canada to southern Mexico; migratory in the northern half of its range |
| Behavior |
they nest in a thick shrub or low tree, usually between 3-15 feet above ground; nest is a bulky cup of long twigs, weed stems and rootlets, lined with plant down, bark, hair and feathers; 4-5 greenish-white eggs are laid; incubation is 14-16 days; young fledge at 14-21 days and generally become independent 15 days later; best known for itâ??s unique behavior of impaling prey on thorns, barbed wire and similar projections |
| Diet |
insects, mice, small birds and other vertebrates, such as frogs and snakes |
| Vocalization |
no song; utters a shrill, clear, creaking prolonged note, similar to the grating of a rusty hinge moved to and fro; heard only in the spring when the hen is sitting |
| Other Information |
- Its habit of impaling prey on thorns and barbed wire fences has earned it the common name of "Butcher Bird" |
