Fiji Woodswallow
Artamus mentalis
A thick-bodied, highly aerobatic bird, white below and dark above with a dark chin and white cheek. Often perches on wires. Bill pale bluish with a dark tip. No similar species within its range. Found in open or forest-edge habitats. Common call is a rapid metallic “wit-wit-wit.”
Identification
The Fiji woodswallow (Artamus mentalis) is a species of woodswallow in the family Artamidae. It is endemic to most of the islands of Fiji, although it is absent from Kadavu Archipelago and the Lau Archipelago. The species was once considered a race of the white-breasted woodswallow, which breeds from Australia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu through to Borneo and the Philippines. Some authors retain it in that species. The Fiji woodswallow is a chunky bird 18 centimetres (7 in) long with a heavy black-tipped blue bill. The plumage is sooty dark above, with a white belly, rump and throat. It is distinguished from the white-breasted woodswallow by the amount of white on the throat, which in the Fiji woodswallow comes up to the level of the bill.
Taxonomy
Genus: Artamus; Family: Artamidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Artamus mentalis
- Authority
- Jardine, 1845
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Artamidae
- Genus
- Artamus
Range and habitat
The Fiji woodswallow is endemic to the major islands of Fiji, namely Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and Taveuni. It is absent from the fourth largest island, Kadavu, but is present on smaller Gau in the Lomaiviti Archipelago. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests and savannahs, but it has adjusted to human-altered habitats and also lives in cultivated areas; there are even urban populations in Suva and Nadi. In Viti Levu it is found in the highlands, but not on the highlands of Taveuni.<p>Unlike the nomadic populations of Australian white-breasted woodswallows, the Fiji woodswallow is sedentary. Family groups will occupy a tree in which they roost and nest in over several years. It is thought that this is because the climatic conditions in Fiji are less extreme.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Steel-blue Whydah
Vidua hypocherina
A nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Black-cheeked and Black-faced Waxbills. As with other whydahs, breeding males are distinctive, whereas non-breeding males and females are drab and inconspicuous. Breeding males are glossy blue-black with elongated central tail feathers. Non-breeding males and females have a brownish back, a heavily striped face, and a whitish bill and legs. Generally uncommon in rather dry savanna and woodland. Non-breeding male and female can be cautiously separated from other whydahs and indigobirds by their pale bill and legs. Not very vocal, but does imitate the waxbills that it parasitizes.
Himalayan Cuckoo
Cuculus saturatus
Visually indistinguishable from Oriental Cuckoo. Adult male is gray above with a black-and-white-barred belly and a dark gray tail; females usually look similar, but some (known as hepatic morph birds) have cinnamon-brown upperparts with black barring throughout. Intermediate in size between Common and Lesser Cuckoos; distinguished from both species by buffy (not white) under-tail feathers and from Lesser Cuckoos by yellow iris. Song is a series of five notes, with the leading note being sharper and more distinct than the four that follow; compare with Oriental Cuckoo’s series of mellow paired notes. Breeds in a wide range of different lowland and hill forests; also more open habitats outside of breeding season.
Ochre-crowned Greenlet
Tunchiornis ochraceiceps
Small, often rather active little bird of shady forest understory in humid tropical lowlands; often in areas with understory palms. Usually in pairs at middle levels moving with mixed-species flocks that often include Golden-crowned Warbler and Red-crowned Ant-Tanager. Rather drab brownish overall with tawny bushy crest, paler gray face and throat, and piercing pale eye (can be hard to see in the shade). Often gives a twangy, nasal “dwoi-dwoi-dwoi” call and a high, insectlike, whining whistle.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.