About Cracticus mentalis Salvadori & Albertis, 1875
The black-backed butcherbird, scientific name Cracticus mentalis Salvadori & Albertis, 1875, is a stockily built bird, like other butcherbirds. It has a relatively large head, short wings, and short legs, and reaches roughly 25 cm (10 in) in total length. Individuals from Australian populations are smaller than those found in New Guinea. Its plumage is predominantly black and white. It has black colouration on its head, lores, lower back, and wings, with white on the nape, throat, and underparts. Individual wing feathers are edged with white. The rump and base of the tail are grey. The eyes are dark brown, the legs are grey, and the bill is pale bluish grey with a black tip and a prominent hook at the end. Juvenile black-backed butcherbirds have untidy brown and white plumage that follows the same general pattern as adult plumage, and have a darker bill. The black-backed butcherbird is distributed across Cape York Peninsula north of the Palmer River, as well as the Trans-Fly region and the area around Port Moresby in New Guinea. It can be found at elevations up to 600 m (2000 ft), and lives in the habitat types of savannah and open woodland.
