Ground Cuckooshrike

The ground cuckooshrike is a slender, long-legged bird, the largest of the cuckooshrikes measuring 33–37 cm in length, and weighing approximately 115 g. It was named cuckooshrike not because it is affiliated with either the cuckoo or the shrike, but because of the similar features that it has to both these birds. The stout, hooked shrike-like beak and plumage which is similar to that of the cuckoo are the reason for its name. The adult bird possesses a pale grey head and upper body, with pale yellow eyes. Its lower back, rump and underparts are white and finely barred with black, contrasting with the black wings and the slightly forked black tail. This forked tail is a characteristic specific to the ground cuckooshrike. The immature ground cuckooshrike is similar in appearance to the adult, but has fine, broken black barrings on the throat and upper parts and dark eyes with a dark eye-line, instead of a black mask with pale yellow eyes. The flight call of this bird is a distinctive pee-ew, pee-ew or chill-chill….kee-lik, keelick. Due to the colouration of the ground cuckooshrike, when in flight they can look quite black-and-white and so may be mistaken for an Australian magpie.

The distribution of the ground cuckooshrike is widespread across Australia, mainly occurring in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and in some parts of Victoria. They occur mostly inland of the Great Dividing Range in Australia's semi-arid regions, but also occur in areas on the east coast. They have been found to occur in areas of open woodland, arid shrub-land and open grasslands that are dominated by dead trees and species such as mulga, cypress-pine and mallee-spinifex. Ground cuckooshrikes are more likely to occur in these habitats if they are located near watercourses, floodplains, creeks and wetlands. Because of the location of the preferred habitats, they are more frequently found in inland areas rather than coastal regions. Various reports have recorded their presence in woodland areas located on river channels and floodplains, mulga shrubland and cleared woodland regrowth areas. Despite their large range throughout Australia, they are an uncommon species, thinly distributed and probably nomadic, which can make it hard to predict their location and where they can be expected to be seen. The current population trend of the ground cuckooshrike is said to be decreasing, possibly due to declines in the Murray-Mallee region since the mid 1970s. …

The ground cuckooshrike, as its name suggests, mainly feeds on the ground, being adapted to this kind of feeding with their long legs and the ability to run quickly along the ground. They spend a lot of their time foraging on bare open ground in small groups for their food, which consists of mainly on insects. Their diet includes adult and larval arthropods such as praying mantis, grasshoppers, locust, ants and spiders.