Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)
Dusky Woodswallow

Dusky Woodswallow

Artamus cyanopterus

The dusky woodswallow, Artamus cyanopterus, presents a medium-sized, swallow-like silhouette adorned with a dark brown plumage that may sometimes appear grey. A distinctive black patch is noted before the eyes, and the wings are grey, occasionally black, with white streaks. The tail is black with a white tip, and the underwing shimmers silver. A blue-grey bill, tipped with black, completes their visage.

Identification Tips

Look for the dusky woodswallow's fervent tail 'wagging' or swiveling, a behavior shared with its woodswallow kin. The species can be distinguished by a unique white patch on the outer wing and a more smoky brown coloration compared to other woodswallows.

Habitat

These birds favor open eucalyptus forests and woodlands, where they roost communally, often nocturnally, and in large flocks during the breeding season for added protection against predators.

Distribution

The dusky woodswallow's range extends from the Atherton Tableland in Queensland, down to Tasmania, and west to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

Behaviour

As nomadic birds, dusky woodswallows exhibit spontaneous movements, with south-eastern populations migrating northward in Autumn. They communicate with a variety of chattering calls, including a harsh mobbing call to alert others of predators or intruders.

Song & Calls

The dusky woodswallow's vocal repertoire includes various chattering sounds, with a particularly harsh call used for mobbing predators.

Breeding

Nests are artfully constructed from twigs, roots, and foliage into a bowl shape, lined with grass, and are often positioned behind bark or high in a tree branch. The breeding season spans from August to January, with the female laying up to four white eggs. Incubation lasts for sixteen days, and fledglings take a similar time to mature.

Similar Species

The little woodswallow shares a smoky brown hue with the dusky woodswallow but lacks the distinctive white patch on the outer wing.

Diet and Feeding

Dusky woodswallows have a varied diet, consuming foliage, grassy material, termites, butterflies, other insects, and nectar from flowers. They exhibit aerial hunting prowess, capturing flying insects on the wing, and also feed on the ground, often from inconspicuous perches.

Conservation status

With a broad range and an unquantified but presumed common population, the dusky woodswallow is classified as 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Dusky Woodswallows on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies

A photo of a Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus)

Black-faced Woodswallow

Artamus cinereus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
BCHphotography_
Such a great app!
I didn’t think I could enjoy birding more but this app makes it so much better. Some great features and a really great way to share your sightings with your friends or fellow birders nearby or around the world! ❤️
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.