- Artamus minor
Identification
12 to 14 cm. The smallest Woodswallow
- Dark chocolate-brown overall
- Deep gunmetal grey wings and tail
- Darker on face
- Tail tipped white on outer rectrices
- Pale blue-grey bill with dark tip
Sexes similar. Juveniles are paler and have a diffuse buff streaking above and below.
Similar species
Dusky Woodswallow is bigger and has a white edge on the wing.
Distribution
Found in Australia except in the south.
Locally common in its range.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized:
- A. m. derbyi in north and east Australia
- A. m. minor in Western Australia and northwest South Australia
Habitat
Rugged terrain around inland ranges.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects which are mainly taken on wing. Takes also nectar.
Usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups. Often in mixed-species flocks with other Woodswallows.
Breeding recorded from September to January. Breeds solitary or co-operative. The nest is made of twigs and other vegetable matter and placed on ledge in a cave or in a crevice among rocks or sometimes in a tree hollow. 1 - 4 eggs are laid.
Probably locally resident, nomadic or partly migratory in some parts.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Woodswallow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Woodswallow
