Dusky woodswallow

Artamus cyanopterus

Photo by J.J. Harrison (Wikipedia)

Common name:
dusky woodswallow (en); andorinha-do-bosque-sombria (pt); langrayen sordide (fr); artamo sombrío (es); rußschwalbenstar (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Artamidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found in two separate populations. The eastern population is found from Atherton Tableland, Queensland south to Tasmania and west to Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The other population is found in south-western Western Australia.

Size:
These birds are 17-18 cm long and weigh 35 g.

Habitat:
The dusky woodswallow is mostly found in open, dry tropical forests and savannas, but also in dry scrublands, rural gardens, urban areas and occasionally in moist tropical forests and temperate forests.

Diet:
They feed mostly on insects, which are either taken on the wing or collected from the foliage or from the ground. They also eat nectar.

Breeding:
Dusky woodswallows breed in August-January. The nest is a loose bowl of twigs, grass and roots, lined with fine grasses, and it is placed in a tree fork, behind bark, in a stump hollow or in a fence post, usually 1-10 m above the ground. The female lays 3-4 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 16 days. The chicks are raised by both parents and fledge 20 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to the clearance of native vegetation for agriculture, but it is not threatened at present.

White-browed woodswallow

Artamus superciliosus

Photo by Tom Tarrant (Wikipedia)

Common name:

white-browed woodswallow (en); andorinha-do-bosque-de-sobrolho-branco (pt); langrayen bridé (fr); artamo cejiblanco (es); weißbrauen-schwalbenstar (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Artamidae

Range:

This Australian species is found throughout eastern Australia ans northern Tasmania.

Size:

These birds are 19-21 cm long and weigh 35-40 g.

Habitat:

The white-browed woodswallow is found in a wide range of inland habitats, from eucalypt forests and woodlands to dry heaths and spinifex. It can also be found in farmlands, orchards and towns.

Diet:

They mostly eat aerial insects which they catch on the wing. They also eat nectar and small native fruits.

Breeding:

White-browed woodswallows breed in August-December. Both sexes build the nest, a shallow cup made of twigs and plant fibres in a fork, crevice or foliage in a tree or shrub, or sometimes in a vine, creeper, stump or even in artificial structures. There the female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population has undergone significant declines in parts of their range, mostly due to limitations of food supply and foraging substrates which are depleted by clearing and degradation of the tree and shrub layer, firewood collection, and agricultural development. Still, overall there is no evidence for any declines or substantial threats.