The Hooded Butcherbird (Cracticus cassicus) is a species of passerine

Passerine

A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...

 bird in the Cracticidae family. It is found in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 and Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

.
Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s.

Taxonomy

The Hooded Butcherbird was first described by Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert

Pieter Boddaert

Pieter Boddaert was a Dutch physician and naturalist.Boddaert was the son of a Middelburg jurist and poet by the same name . Pieter Jr. obtained his M.D. at the University of Utrecht in 1764 and there became a lecturer on natural history. Fourteen letters survive of his correspondence with Carl...

 in 1783, its specific epithet cassicus derived from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 "wearing a helmet" or "hood". It is one of six (or seven) members of the genus Cracticus known as butcherbirds. Two subspecies are recognised; The nominate race cassicus is found on mainland New Guinea and islands to the west, as well as Kairiru, Mushu and Basilaki Islands, while the larger race hercules occurs on the D'entrecasteaux Archipelago and Trobriand Islands.

A local name in Ketengban is moro-moro.

Description

Measuring 32–35 cm in length, the male and female are similar in appearance. The plumage is predominantly black and white, the bird bearing a black head, nape and throat, white underparts, rump, and back, and black and white mantle. The tail is black, with a broad white tip. The robust pale bluish-grey bill is hooked and tipped black. The iris is black or dark brown, and the legs and feet are dark grey to black. It can be distinguished from the Black-backed Butcherbird

Black-backed Butcherbird

The Black-backed Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea Indonesia, and northern Queensland in Australia.-References:...

 by its black throat.

The Hooded Butcherbird has a complex fluting song, made up of many varied components. Birds may duet with each other, or mimic other species such as the Rusty Pitohui

Rusty Pitohui

The Rusty Pitohui, Pitohui ferrugineus is a medium-sized, approximately 28cm long, rusty brown songbird with a strong black bill, pale iris and yellowish-buff below. It is the largest member of its family. Both sexes are similar....

, Little Shrike-thrush

Little Shrike-thrush

The Little Shrikethrush is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....

, Spangled Drongo

Spangled Drongo

The Spangled Drongo is a bird of the family Dicruridae.The Spangled Drongo is the only Drongo to be found in Australia...

, or Helmeted Friarbird

Helmeted Friarbird

The Helmeted Friarbird is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.-Distribution and habitat:It is found in Indonesia and northern Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical mangrove...

.

Distribution and habitat

Found on New Guinea and surrounding islands, the Hooded Butcherbird inhabits forested country mainly in lowland areas to elevations of 650 m, or occasionally 1450 m. It is fairly common and may also be found close to human habitation in coconut groves.

Behaviour

It is carnivorous. Birds are found in pairs or small family groups.

Records indicate breeding may occur at any time. Located on a branch 8.5–25 m above ground, the nest is a bowl constructed of twigs and sticks. Two or three pale olive-brown or -green eggs are laid, blotched darker brown and measuring 31.8-35.6 x 23.7-25.6 mm.