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22

Dusky Woodswallow

(Artamus cyanopterus)
Alternate name(s): "Sordid Wood-swallow", "Jacky Martin", "Bee-bird", "Bluey", "Martin*", "Skimmer*"
Aboriginal name(s): Race "cyanopterus": "bewoen*", "wol", "booan" (WA)

Size: 17-18 cm
Weight: 28-41 g

Similar
species

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

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Dusky Woodswallow at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "cyanopterus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2019]

Frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow looking sideways
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2008]

Near-frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles CP, SA, October 2022]

Near-frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles CP, SA, October 2022]

Near-frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow jiggling its tail (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Durikai SF, near Warwick, QLD, August 2017]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Dusky Woodswallow; this is one of the birds whose calls were recorded on 1 December 2015
[Putta Bucca Wetlands, Mudgee, NSW, March 2015]

Near-frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow checking out the photographer
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, August 2008]

Near-lateral view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Swifts Creek, East Gippsland, VIC, September 2017]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, March 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. George, QLD, August 2018]

Lateral view of a Dusky Woodswallow hanging off the bark of a dead ironbark eucalypt; the bird was happy to stay like this for many minutes
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, April 2009]

Lateral/ventral view of Dusky Woodswallows bunched together
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, March 2021]

Dusky Woodswallow in-flight seen from underneath; this is one bird in a small flock seen by us on a cold morning in the middle of winter
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, July 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Dusky Woodswallows in a tight huddle; the second bird from the left, with spots on the tips of its feathers, is an immature
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2022]

Frontal view of a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2008]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, March 2008]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, March 2021]

Frontal view of an adult, left, and a juvenile, right, Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2014]

Lateral view of two juvenile Dusky Woodswallows on a low perch (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, March 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow with its tail fanned (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2014]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, March 2021]

Adult, right, with a juvenile Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, March 2021]

Race "perthi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wooloroo Regional Park, Perth, WA, August 2015]

Dusky Woodswallows huddling together (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wooloroo Regional Park, Perth, WA, August 2015]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Dec Eggs: 3 - 4 Incubation period: ? Fledging age: ?

Given the right conditions (e.g. absence of frost), Dusky Woodswallows can breed almost all year round.

Nest

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

Type: Basket Material: Twigs, with soft lining Height above ground: 5 - ? m

Dusky Woodswallow at its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles CP, SA, October 2022]

Dusky Woodswallow sitting down on its nest to incubate (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles CP, SA, October 2022]

Dusky Woodswallow on its nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Dusky Woodswallow feeding one of its hatchlings (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Dusky Woodswallow with a contented-looking hatchling; the adult bird's bill is soiled with "insect porridge"
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Unattended nest of a pair of Dusky Woodswallows in a stunted fork; without the birds' activities it would certainly have gone unnoticed
[Near Narrabri, NSW, October 2011]

Even with a Dusky Woodswallow incubating, the nest is very inconspicuous
[Near Narrabri, NSW, October 2011]

Here a "change of the guard", which attracted the observer's attention to the Dusky Woodswallow nest
[Near Narrabri, NSW, October 2011]

Well-hidden Dusky Woodswallow nest on top of the base of a clump of Mistletoe (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2021]

Frontal view of a Dusky Woodswallow on its nest; for a woodswallow this is quite an elaborate nest construction
[Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek, NSW, November 2014]

Sideways view of a Dusky Woodswallow on its nest
[Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek, NSW, November 2014]

Dusky Woodswallow carrying nesting material (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, October 2019]

Eggs

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

Size: 24 x 17 mm Colour: Creamy, with dark-brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

View from above into a Dusky Woodswallow nest with 3 eggs inside (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles CP, SA, October 2022]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal Mobility: Migratory in SE, sedentary in SW Elementary unit: Small flock

Like some other species of woodswallows (and some other species as well), Dusky Woodswallows like to huddle together closely.

Dusky Woodswallows in a tight huddle; the second bird from the left, with spots on the tips of its feathers, is an immature
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2022]

Clan of Dusky Woodswallows clustering in a tree top; photo taken in difficult light conditions
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, May 2011]

Dusky Woodswallows are also known for wagging their tails sideways. While we have not documented the tail wag, the same motion comes into action when they are stretching, see photos below.

Dusky Woodswallow stretching, first to the right, then to the left
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, May 2013]

Dusky Woodswallows using their tails in various configurations
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2018]

Dusky Woodswallows like to perch prominently on the ends of dead branches; this is the bird whose call was recorded on 2 April 2014
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, April 2014]

About half of a flock of Dusky Woodswallows hawking for insects above eucalypt woodland
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2018]

Dusky Woodswallows can form large flocks; this is part of a flock of several hundred birds
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2022]

Food, Diet

Adults: Small insects Dependents: As adults Water intake: Any(?)

Like all members of the Artamus family known to us, Dusky Woodswallows feed on small insects.

Dusky Woodswallow with an insect it has just caught
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, May 2020]

Dusky Woodswallow with its prey, a fly
[Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek, NSW, November 2014]

Juvenile Dusky Woodswallow with its prey that it has just caught; it was not fed by the adult in the foreground
[Near Pilliga, NSW, March 2021]

Dusky Woodswallow approaching its nest with a load of insects
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]

Flock of Dusky Woodswallows raiding a flowering mugga ironbark eucalypt; a closer view shows that they were after nectar, not insects
[Pilliga NP, NSW, June 2022]

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.

dwoodsw_20210409.m4a cyanopterus
(W NSW)
Contact calls(?) © MD
dwoodsw_20210320.m4a cyanopterus
(NW NSW)
Warning calls © MD
dwoodsw_20180419.m4a cyanopterus
(NW NSW)
Warning calls; (+ White-plumed Honeyeater) © MD
dwoodsw_20180419_2.m4a cyanopterus
(NW NSW)
Alarm calls © MD
dwoodsw_20151201_4.m4a cyanopterus
(W NSW)
Alarm calls (Laughing Kookaburra) © MD
alarm_20210320.m4a cyanopterus
(NW NSW)
Aerial predator alarm calls (+ Brown Treecreeper, White-browed Woodswallow, White-plumed Honeyeater) © MD
dwoodsw_20151201_3.m4a cyanopterus
(W NSW)
Annoyed calls © MD
dwoodsw_20151201_5.m4a cyanopterus
(W NSW)
Annoyed calls © MD
dwoodsw_20220521_2.m4a cyanopterus
(NW NSW)
Various (+ Yellow Thornbill) © MD
dwoodsw_20220521.m4a cyanopterus
(NW NSW)
Various (flock in flight) © MD

More Dusky 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.