'butcherbird' definitions:
Definition of 'butcherbird'
From: WordNet
noun
Shrikes that impale their prey on thorns
noun
Large carnivorous Australian bird with the shrike-like habit of impaling prey on thorns
Definition of 'butcherbird'
From: 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]