Rather large butcherbird with black head and throat, and strong bill slightly hooked at tip. Nominate race has head and neck down to upper breast black; mantle and back variable, black, mottled or largery white depending on amount of white edging on black feathers (possibly varies with age), rump and uppertail-coverts white; upperwing black; conspicuous white patch formed by variable amount of white on upperwing-coverts and tertials; tail black outer rectrices with white tips; underparts bellow upper breast white; iris dark brown or black; bill pale bluish-grey or milky blue, black tip; legs black. Sexes similar in plumage, male larger then female. Juvenile has black feathers of head, breast, back and wing-coverts tipped brown; bill grey. Race hercules is similar in plumage to nominate, but larger (wings 185 mm, nominate 170 mm).
Not Threatened
Rather large butcherbird with black head and throat, and strong bill slightly hooked at tip. Nominate race has head and neck down to upper breast black; mantle and back variable, black, mottled or largery white depending on amount of white edging on black feathers (possibly varies with age), rump and uppertail-coverts white; upperwing black; conspicuous white patch formed by variable amount of white on upperwing-coverts and tertials; tail black outer rectrices with white tips; underparts bellow upper breast white; iris dark brown or black; bill pale bluish-grey or milky blue, black tip; legs black. Sexes similar in plumage, male larger then female. Juvenile has black feathers of head, breast, back and wing-coverts tipped brown; bill grey. Race hercules is similar in plumage to nominate, but larger (wings 185 mm, nominate 170 mm).
32-35 cm, 130-155 g
Taxonomy: Ramphastos cassicus Boddaert, 1783, New Guinea. Forms a superspecies with C. nigrogularis and C. louisiadensis; possibly conspecific with latter. Two subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * cassicus ( Boddaert, 1783) - West Papuan Is, New Guinea and satellite islands (except those off SE coast), and Aru Is. * hercules Mayr, 1940 - Trobriand Is (Kailuna, Kiriwana and Kitawa) and D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago (Goodenough and Fergusson), off SE New Guinea.
Lowland forest and dense second growth, often near human habitation, to c.650 m. Occurs in openings in rainforest, forest edge and gardens.
Feeds on large insects, larvae, spiders and fruit; also taken small vertebrates, including birds. Forages mostly in crowns of trees bordering open spaces. Usually in pairs or is small groups.
Not well known. Many single records of nests suggests that breeding may occur in any time, with preference for late dry season. Reported that several pairs may nest close together quite amicably; one report of several adults feeding one nestling. Nest a bulky bowl of twigs and sticks, built 9 – 25 above ground towards end of strong lateral branch of tree. Clutch 2-3 eggs, pale olive, tinged with brown, blue or green, with faint blotches of brown and some darker brown spots at larger end. C 33 x 25 mm. No other information.