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2 definitions found

From: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

 butcher bird, butcher-bird, butcherbird n.
 1.  Zool. any species of shrike of the genus Lanius, so called because they impale their prey on thorns.
 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.
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From: WordNet (r) 2.0

 loggerhead shrike
      n : common shrike of southeastern United States having black
          eye-bands [syn: Lanius lucovicianus]