The pied butcherbird is a medium-sized black-and-white songbird. It is quite distinctive, boasting a full black hood, dark brown eyes, broad white collar and long hooked bill.

Pied butcherbirds are aggressive feeders that prey on large insects and small reptiles, mammals, frogs and birds. They swoop down on their prey from a perch before eating (and often storing) it in a ‘larder’ in the fork of the tree.

They are well-known for their beautiful song and are the birds you will hear most often while watching the sunrise in the park.

Pied butcherbirds have adapted quite well to urban environments, and you might see or hear them hanging around the Cultural Centre.