Butcherbirds are songbirds in the Cracticinae subfamily of the Artamidae family. Most species are placed in the genus Cracticus, while the black butcherbird is placed in the monotypic genus Melloria. The Australian magpie is a closely related species placed in the separate monotypic genus Gymnorhina and is the closest relative of the black butcherbird. Butcherbirds are native to Australasia. They get their name from their tendency of impaling prey on branches or in branch forks and tearing it apart, resembling the way butchers prepare meat.