Black-faced Woodswallow
Artamus cinereus
The Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus) is a uncommon woodswallows, bellmagpies, and alli found in 3 countries, weighing about 36 g. The black-faced woodswallow is a woodswallow of the genus Artamus native to Australia, New Guinea, and the Sunda Islands, including Timor.
About the Black-faced Woodswallow
The black-faced woodswallow is a woodswallow of the genus Artamus native to Australia, New Guinea, and the Sunda Islands, including Timor. It is 18–19 cm (7.1–7.5 in) long and is the most widespread species in the family Artamidae. Woodswallows have a soft call with chiff, chap and chattering calls which can include vocal mimicry
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The black-faced woodswallow is 18–19 cm (7.1–7.5 in) in length, and weighs 32–40 g (1.1–1.4 oz). It has a blue-grey beak with a black tip and a black face mask which extends from the base of the bill up to and around the eyes. It has ash grey plumage, which is lighter around the breast with darker wings, and silver underwings. The tail is black with a white tip. The subspecies are differentiated by black or white colouration of their tail vents. The white-vented subspecies A. c. normani and A. c. inkermani are found on the Cape York Peninsula and northern Queensland respectively.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-faced Woodswallow?
- The black-faced woodswallow is 18–19 cm (7.1–7.5 in) in length, and weighs 32–40 g (1.1–1.4 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-faced Woodswallow?
- The Black-faced Woodswallow is a small sized bird weighing about 36 g.
- Where can you see a Black-faced Woodswallow?
- The Black-faced Woodswallow occurs in 3 countries, including Australia, Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
- What birds look similar to a Black-faced Woodswallow?
- The Black-faced Woodswallow is most easily confused with the White-browed Woodswallow, the Masked Woodswallow and the Little Woodswallow.
- Is the Black-faced Woodswallow endangered?
- The Black-faced Woodswallow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-faced Woodswallow for real
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