Black-faced Woodswallow vs Dusky Woodswallow

Black-faced Woodswallow

Artamus cinereus

Small36 gWoodland

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Max Tibby · CC0

Dusky Woodswallow

Artamus cyanopterus

Small35 gWoodland

The dusky woodswallow is medium-sized and swallow-like, with a dark brown hue, but there have been instances where the bird has appeared grey. The birds have a black patch in front of the eyes, and grey (sometimes also black) wings with white streaks on them. The dusky woodswallow has a black, white-tipped tail with a silver underwing. The birds have a blue-grey bill capped with black. Dusky woodswallows are known to spontaneously 'wag' or swivel their tails fervently, a trait which is common among many other species of woodswallow.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) patrickkavanagh, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-faced Woodswallow and Dusky Woodswallow.