White-breasted woodswallow

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White-breasted woodswallow

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Artamidae
Genus: Artamus
Species:
A. leucorynchus
Binomial name
Artamus leucorynchus
(Linnaeus, 1771)

The white-breasted woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) is a medium-sized passerine bird which breeds from the Andaman Islands east through Indonesia and northern Australia.[1] 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.

Taxonomy

The white-breasted woodswallow was

Artamus that was introduced in 1816 by Louis Pierre Vieillot.[6]

Nine subspecies are recognised:[6]

Description

The white-breasted woodswallow's plumage is dark grey on the head and neck, with white underparts, giving the species its common and scientific names, in contrast to the related great woodswallow whose upper side is a more glossy black.[7] The stout bill is bluish-grey with a black tip. They can also be identified by their short, black tail and grey feet. Their completely black tail makes them the only woodswallow lacking white on the tail. Males and females are identical in appearance. Juveniles have a more brownish plumage around their head and mantle that is usually heavily striated. They have a buff tint on their chest and a brownish bill with a dark tip. White-breasted woodswallows can grow to a maximum known size of 18 cm and weigh between 35 and 45 grams. The nine subspecies can be separated by small differences in color, overall size, wing length and bill size.[8]

Distribution and habitat

Throughout their vast distribution across Australasia, white breasted woodswallows can be found in forests, open woodlands and semi-arid plains, with a mixture of vegetation including shrubs, mangroves, forest clearings and grasses, often near watercourses. They are found at elevations from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). They are partially migratory, with southern flocks moving north during Autumn and returning south in the spring.

Behaviour

The white-breasted woodswallow has large, pointed wings and is very agile in powered and gliding flight. It is fast-flying and is one of few passerines that can soar. Even with their small statue, they can be aggressive birds whom are quite territorial with groups mobbing larger birds as a form of defense. Out of breeding season, woodswallows are quite nomadic, chasing flying insects and roosting in large flocks. They are generally seen in flocks of 10-50 birds, sometimes up to 100 to a flock. Flocks tend to cluster together in the evening to roost. They are social birds, well known for their habit of huddling up together tightly in flocks, usually along a branch or powerline. This behaviour enables the birds to maintain heat and conserve energy.

Breeding

The breeding season of the white-breasted woodswallow varies throughout its range. In northern areas breeding usually occurs between March and May and in the southern ranges occurring between August and January, pre and during the wet season. The female sexual display to invite

eggs. These are tapered oval-shaped and cream or pinkish in color with darker brown speckles. The eggs are incubated for 15 days.[11]

Food and feeding

Despite having a

insectivores primarily feeding on insects caught on the wings in flight or from a perch, and occasionally feeding on the nectar of flowers.[12] Although they mostly feed on insects caught in flight, woodswallows also forage on the ground or in the tree canopy.[13]
Feeding can often be communal when the catch is too large for one bird.

Conservation status

With an extensive range, the white-breasted woodswallow does not fall into vulnerable species categories. It has a stable and large population size justifying its allocation as Least Concern. There is no evidence of the species decline and the species is recognised as common and therefore there is no alert for Artamus leucorynchus to be recognised as vulnerable throughout is localities.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2012). "Artamus leucorynchus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1771). "Regni Animalis Appendix. Aves". Mantissa plantarum altera. Generum editionis VI. & specierum editionis II (in Latin). Holmiae (Stockholm): Salvius. p. 524.
  3. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 161.
  4. ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 2. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. pp. 180–181, Plate 18 fig 2. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.
  5. .
  6. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Bristlehead, butcherbirds, woodswallows, Mottled Berryhunter, ioras, cuckooshrikes". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ^ Dahlem, Michael. "White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)". Michael Dahlem.
  8. ^ Clunie, F (1976). "The behaviour and nesting of Fiji white-breasted Woodswallows". NOTORNIS Journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. 23 (1): 61–75.
  9. ^ Birdlife Australia. "White-breasted Woodswallow".
  10. ^ Avipedia. "White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)". Birds of the World. A Visual Encyclopedia. Word Press.
  11. ^ Grrl Scientist, Grrl Scientist (2012). "Mystery bird: white-breasted woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus". The Guardian.
  12. ^ Atlas of Living Australia. "White-Breasted Woodswallow". ala.org.au. Atlas of Living Australia.
  13. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Species factsheet: Artamus leucoryn". Datazone. Birdlife International.

External links