Dusky Woodswallow - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by rebelxt
Adelaide, Australia, October 2005

Artamus cyanopterus

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by peterday
Onkaparinga River Recreation Park, South Australia, January 2021

18 cm (7 in)

• Deep brown-grey
• Dark blue grey wings with white edges
• White patch on outer wing
• Black tail has broad white tip
• Silver-white underwings
• Blue bill with black tip
• Dark brown iris

Sexes similar
Juvenile

• Grey brown with buff and cream streaks and mottling

Similar species

Little Woodswallow is smaller and has no white line on wing.

Distribution

Found in south, southeast and east Australia, including Tasmania.
Locally common in its range.

Taxonomy

Photo © by peterday
Alligator Gorge, South Australia, October 2017

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• A. c. cyanopterus in east and southeast Australia, Tasmania, Kangaroo Island and islands in Bass Strait
• A. c. perthi from southwest Australia east to Eyre Peninsula

These two subspecies are only weakly differentiated and integrate in south Australia.

Habitat

Woodland, open forests and agricultural area.

Behaviour

Often seen perched. Forages singly, in pairs or small groups. Often in mixed-species flocks.

Diet

Subspecies cyanopterus
Photo © by Hans&Judy Beste
Taromeo, S.E. Queensland, Australia, June 2019

Feeds mostly on insects taken on the wing, takes also nectar.

Breeding

Breeding season from August to February. Usually a solitary nester, sometimes co-operative with helpers. The bowl shaped nest is built by both sexes from twigs, grass and roots, and is lined with fine grass. Lays 2 - 3 eggs. Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young.

Southern populations migrate north in austral winter, eg leaving Tasmania in April and returning in October.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Dusky Woodswallow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Dusky_Woodswallow

External Links

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