White-breasted woodswallow
| White-breasted woodswallow | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Artamidae |
| Genus: | Artamus |
| Species: | A. leucorynchus |
| Binomial name | |
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Artamus leucorynchus (Linnaeus, 1771) |
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The white-breasted woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) is a small passerine bird which breeds from the Andaman Islands east through Indonesia and northern Australia. The name "woodswallow" is a misnomer as they are not closely related to true swallows. Instead, they belong to the family Artamidae, which also includes butcherbirds, currawongs and the Australian magpie.
The species was first described by Linnaeus in 1771, its specific epithet derived from the Ancient Greek words leucos 'white', and rhynchos 'bill'.
This woodswallow's soft-plumage is charcoal grey apart from the white underparts that give the species its English and scientific names, in contrast to the related great woodswallow whose upper side is a more glossy black. Despite its brush-tipped tongue, usually associated with nectar feeders, it catches insects on the wing.
The white-breasted woodswallow has large, pointed wings and is very agile in powered and gliding flight. This is a nomadic species, following the best conditions for flying insects, and often roosting in large flocks. The nest is a small structure built in the hollow formed by a broken branch, or in a forked branch. The normal clutch is three eggs.
Three chicks in a nest, Central Coast, NSW, Australia
Sherwood Arboretum, SE Queensland, Australia
White-breasted woodswallow
Front aspect
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Wikipedia