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Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus) Alternate name(s): "Grey-breasted Woodswallow", "White-bellied Woodswallow", "White-vented Woodswallow" Aboriginal name(s): Race "cinereus": "bewoen*" (WA) Size: 18-20 cm Body mass: 32-40 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Black-faced Woodswallows are medium-sized woodswallows. Their plumage is grey, except for a small black facial mask and a black vent and undertail. The upperwings are darker grey than the rest of the body, while the underwings are off-white. The eyes have dark irises. The short, pointy, nearly triangular-shaped bill is bluish-grey, with a black tip. The legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have highly cryptic, more brownish-grey plumage throughout, with heavy streaking on front and back, a buff throat patch and dark grey-brown wing tail and feathers. The bill is pale bluish-grey, with a dark tip.

Taxonomy, classification See Black-faced Woodswallow at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Black-faced Woodswallow is available HERE . Black-faced Woodswallows are found only in Australia and in Timor Leste. NB: Reports on ebird of birds submitted by birdwatchers from the Australian Outback tend to be clustered along roads and public areas such as camp grounds; in such cases their distribution is not a good representation of the overall distribution of the species. All four races of Black-faced Woodswallows found in Australia are endemic to the continent - for details see a field guide. Altogether, Black-faced Woodswallows populate almost the entire Australian continent, except the south-eastern coastal fringe, from about Rockhampton, QLD, southward up to about Adelaide, SA. They are not found on Tasmania and the tip of Cape York peninsula either. Most of the continent is occupied by race "melanops". The only exceptions, within their overall range as outlined above, are the near-coastal fringe in southern/central QLD, where race "dealbatus" resides, Cape York peninsula (race "normani") and southern WA (below a line connecting Carnarwon, WA, with the Nullarbor), where nominate race "cinereus" is found. Black-faced Woodswallows prefer dry, open country, which is why they are not found in the densely wooded parts of the continent. They live mostly in open grassland, often with fringe vegetation of scrub, and also by roadsides (especially on fences) and, prominently, hunting in fallow fields. Where to look? How to find this species? Our attempts to find Black-faced Woodswallows have consistently been most successful when driving (slowly) along stretches of road, with roadside fences and adjacent fallow fields favoured by the species. Even if the commercial crops change, Black-faced Woodswallows tend to return to those favoured haunts.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "cinereus" C. Pears reports spotting a Black-faced Woodswallow, race "cinereus", at Mellenbye Station, ca. 50 km NE of Morawa, WA, in September 2022. Race "melanops" Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", were first spotted by us 20 km South-West of Narrabri, NSW, in September 2006. They were seen again in the same location in February 2008. Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", were also seen by us in many different locations along the Darling River and into SA in March 2008. A small number of Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", can always be found by the side of the Kamilaroi Highway between Cryon and Walgett, NSW, along the roadside and on fallow fields in broadacre farming country; they have been seen by us there many times since 2008. Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", were seen again in May 2011, about 10 km South of Pilliga, NSW. At the time there was a cold spell, with night time temperatures around 0 C. Another group of Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", was found 10 km South of Wee Waa, NSW, in May 2018. Since then, they are found semi-regularly at this location. In February 2023, they had juveniles with them when found there. In June 2016 J. Greaves spotted a Black-faced Woodswallow, race "melanops", in Cook, SA, on the edge of the Nullarbor. M. Mackay reports finding Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", breeding in Coober Pedy, SA, in September 2016. M. Eaton reports spotting Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", at Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, in September 2017. We found them at the same location in June 2019. M. Eaton also found Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", at Erldunda, NT, and at Lake Moondarra, near Mount Isa, QLD, in June 2025. Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", were spotted by us along the Hungerford to Bourke Road, northern NSW, in June 2019. J. Greaves reports spotting the more brownish "small-faced" variety of Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", at Warmun, WA, in May 2014. H. Mouritsen reports spotting the "small-faced" northern variety of Black-faced Woodswallows, race "melanops", near Pine Creek, NT, in October 2015.

Photos

Race "cinereus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Black-faced Woodswallow looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Mellenbye Station, ca. 50 km NE of Morawa, WA, September 2022]

Race "melanops"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal view of an adult Black-faced Woodswallow
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, February 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a Black-faced Woodswallow
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, May 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a Black-faced Woodswallow
[Pilliga Wetlands Walk, NSW, November 2024]

Close-up frontal view of a Black-faced Woodswallow looking sideways
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, May 2023]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow looking towards the observer
[Near Pilliga, NSW, July 2023]

Near-lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, September 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow
[Near Cryon, NSW, September 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[September 2018]

Lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow on a high perch; this bird, possibly a sentry, is one of those whose calls were recorded on 20 June 2019
[Hungerford to Bourke Road, NSW, June 2019]

Lateral view of a moulting Black-faced Woodswallow
[Near Cryon, NSW, March 2022]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, November 2023]

Lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow in flight above a fallow field
[Near Cryon, NSW, June 2012]

Distant lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow in a "hairpin bend"
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a Black-faced Woodswallow, right, with an immature in tow - both were leaning into a high wind at the time
[Between Cryon and Walgett, NSW, March 2024]

Near-lateral view of an immature Black-faced Woodswallow
[Between Cryon and Walgett, NSW, March 2024]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Black-faced Woodswallow moulting into adult plumage
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, February 2023]

Lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Black-faced Woodswallow moulting into adult plumage
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, February 2023]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Black-faced Woodswallow looking towards the observer
[Near Cryon, NSW, March 2022]

Close-up frontal/ventral view of a fledgling Black-faced Woodswallow looking sideways
[Pilliga Wetlands Walk, NSW, November 2024]

Ventral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow, left, with a fledgling
[Pilliga Wetlands Walk, NSW, November 2024]

Dorsal/ventral view of a fledgling Black-faced Woodswallow looking sideways
[Pilliga Wetlands Walk, NSW, November 2024]

Race "melanops", "small-masked" variety

Birds in the northern tropics tend to be browner than their cousins in the South and they have smaller facial masks.

ADULT

Near-frontal view of a Black-faced Woodswallow; note the very small black facial mask, which is basically a small triangle around the eye (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Turkey Creek Airstrip, Warmun, WA, May 2014]

Lateral view of a Black-faced Woodswallow (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Turkey Creek Airstrip, Warmun, WA, May 2014]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Dec

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 14 - 16 days

Fledging age: ca. 18 days

The core breeding season listed in the table above applies to the southern half of the continent. Like most species of Australian Woodswallows, Black-faced Woodswallows can in principle breed at any time of year. Their breeding season depends on geographic latitude and, especially in the semi-arid to arid interior, on seasonal conditions.

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Twigs, dry grass stalks

Height above ground: <2 m

Overview of the location of a Black-faced Woodswallow nest in a number of stacked steel mats (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, September 2016]

Black-faced Woodswallow feeding its chicks (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, September 2016]

Black-faced Woodswallow chicks in their nest (photo courtesy of M. Mackay)
[Coober Pedy, SA, September 2016]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 22 x 17 mm

Colour: Creamy, with light- to mid-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Locally nomadic

Elementary unit: Small flock

Like other species of woodswallows, Black-faced Woodswallows like to huddle.

Frontal view of 3 Black-faced Woodswallows in a huddle (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Moondarra, near Mount Isa, QLD, June 2025]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a family clan of Black-faced Woodswallows in a huddle
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, February 2023]

Black-faced Woodswallows are often found by us in areas where one might think there is no food to be found, such as roads/roadsides or fallow fields.

Frontal view of 2 Black-faced Woodswallows by a roadside
[Near Cryon, NSW, June 2012]

Black-faced Woodswallow on a clod of soil in a fallow field
[Near Cryon, NSW, June 2012]

Food, Diet

Adults: Small insects

Dependents: As adults

Water intake: Daily(?)

Like all members of the Artamus family known to us, Black-faced Woodswallows hunt small insects which they devour in-flight. There are reports of them also feeding on nectar, which we have not seen yet.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blfwood_20190620_4.m4a	melanops (NW NSW)	Contact calls(?)	© MD
blfwood_20190620.m4a	melanops (NW NSW)	Warning call(?)	© MD
blfwood_20190620_2.m4a	melanops (NW NSW)	Alarm call(?)	© MD
blfwood_20190620_3.m4a	melanops (NW NSW)	Various	© MD
blfwood_20241122.m4a	cyanopterus (NW NSW)	Begging calls (fledglings) (+ Tree Martins)	© MD

More Black-faced Woodswallow sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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