Definition of Butcherbird

1. Noun. Shrikes that impale their prey on thorns.


2. Noun. Large carnivorous Australian bird with the shrike-like habit of impaling prey on thorns.
Generic synonyms: Australian Magpie
Group relationships: Cracticus, Genus Cracticus

Definition of Butcherbird

1. Noun. (South Africa) The Fiscal shrike ¹

2. Noun. any of the magpie-like birds in the genus ''Cracticus'' ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Butcherbird

butcher
butcher's
butcher's apron
butcher's broom
butcher's hook
butcher's hooks
butcher's knife
butcher bird
butcher block
butcher board
butcher knife
butcher paper
butcher shop
butcherbird (current term)
butcherbirds
butcherdom
butchered
butcherer
butcherers
butcheress
butcheresses
butcheries
butchering
butcherings
butcherknife
butcherknives
butcherliness
butcherly

Literary usage of Butcherbird

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The New Sporting Magazine (1833)
"Mr. Baily's rb butcherbird, beat Mr. Anderson's fd Agile Mr. Seymour's rd ... Lad beat butcherbird Coral beat Bella Critic beat Ringlet Needle beat Nancy ..."

2. The National Standard Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Literature, the Sciences (1888)
"The popular name of the red-backed shrike or butcherbird of Britain and the northern butcherbird of America, from the belief that the bird catches and ..."

3. Proceedings by Bristol Naturalists' Society (Bristol, England), Bristol Naturalists' Society (1891)
"... or butcherbird, shot at Abbot's Leigh. Dr. Munro Smith exhibited and remarked upon the Water-colls of the Camel's Stomach (Proceedings, page 118), ..."

4. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1891)
"A PLEASANT article, chiefly concerning the shrike, or butcherbird,— one of John Burroughs's bright articles,— calls to my mind some questions concerning the ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Butcherbird on Dictionary.com!Search for Butcherbird on Thesaurus.com!Search for Butcherbird on Google!Search for Butcherbird on Wikipedia!

Search