Butcherbird definition

Butcherbird





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2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  butcher bird \butcher bird\, butcher-bird \butcher-bird\,
  butcherbird \butcherbird\n.
     1. (Zool.) any species of shrike of the genus {Lanius}, so
        called because they impale their prey on thorns.
        [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]
  


     2. (Zool.) large carnivorous Australian bird with the
        shrikelike habit of impaling prey on thorns.
        [WordNet 1.5]
  
     Note: The {Lanius excubitor} is the common butcher bird of
           Europe. In England, the bearded tit is sometimes called
           the {lesser butcher bird}. The American species are
           {Lanius borealis}, or {northern butcher bird}, and
           {Lanius Ludovicianus} or {loggerhead shrike}. The name
           butcher bird is derived from its habit of suspending
           its prey impaled upon thorns, after killing it.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  butcherbird
       n 1: shrikes that impale their prey on thorns
       2: large carnivorous Australian bird with the shrike-like habit
          of impaling prey on thorns

















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