Masked Woodswallow
Artamus personatus
Chunky bird with broad, triangular wings and short, decurved bill. Male dark gray above, pale below, with a black face and throat and very pale underwings. Female with fainter mask and slight rusty wash to breast. Often forages very high up in enormous flocks, sometimes mixed in with White-browed Woodswallows.
Identification
A.personatus is a common, gregarious and highly nomadic species, appearing in large flocks usually with white-browed woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus). Among the few passerines that have powder down through their plumage. Listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Artamus personatus
- Authority
- (Gould, 1841)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Artamidae
- Genus
- Artamus
Range and habitat
Widespread on mainland Australia, less common in coastal and near coastal areas, Vagrants have been recorded in Tasmania, New Zealand, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. Mainly inhibit open forest, woodland, heath, roadside and farm tree belts. Mostly occur in arid and semi arid zones.
- Breeding range
- AU : Australia (except n Cape York Pen. and Tasmania)
- Non-breeding range
- partial migrant to n
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
A.personatus is a mainly insectivorous species that has been observed to hawk or pounce on its prey. Nectar also comprises part of its diet and has been observed occasionally eating fruit.<p>Exclusively pair breeders, consistent with being migratory. A.personatus shows no ecological segregation with A.supercilious but no co operative breeding has been recorded as with other Artamus species. A.personatus breeds throughout most of its distribution range with the exception of eastern and south eastern coastal areas and north of latitude 20°. Usually breeds during spring and summer with annual variation. Breeding frequency is usually once, occasionally twice a year.<p>Similar to the nest of white-breasted woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) but less substantial. Usually only one to two metres above the ground, often only a shallow, frail bowl. Has been recorded in stumps, fallen limbs, bush or scrub, fence posts and protruding bark. Nest materials include twigs and grass, with an upper layer of dry or green grass. Both sexes build the nest.<p>Pale greyish white to pale greenish grey to light creamy brown. Measuring approximately 22mm x 17mm, usual shape, tapered oval. Indistinguishable from the White-browed Woodswallow. 2-3 per clutch, less commonly 1-4.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Green-backed Flycatcher
Ficedula elisae
A colorful, green-suffused flycatcher. Adult male looks like a faded version of a male Narcissus Flycatcher, with bright yellow eyebrows and underparts; greenish tinge to the upperparts is distinctive and unmistakable. Overall paler and less contrasting patterning, combined with prominent dark eyes, conveys a gentle appearance. Female very similar to female Narcissus, but has a faded-yellow belly and a green-tinged head and back; brighter female Narcissus Flycatchers can have a green tinge, too, but it is usually weaker and restricted to the upper half of the back. Breeds in hilly and submontane mixed broadleaf forests, and winters in open forests and forest edges. Song is a rambling series of somewhat scratchy-sounding warbling notes.
Short-toed Treecreeper
Certhia brachydactyla
Difficult to separate from Eurasian Treecreeper: note slightly longer bill, shorter hind claw, browner flanks, and even steps on the wingbar. In the field best separated by voice, a penetrating "tut." Where it overlaps in range with Eurasian Treecreeper tends to be found in more deciduous woodlands at lower altitudes and in farmlands and parks.
Crested Bobwhite
Colinus cristatus
Small quail of dry habitats in interior valleys as well as grasslands. Favors brushy fields, thorn scrub with grassy areas, and drier grassy plains. Often seen along quiet roadsides early and late in the day. Usually in small groups, which flush explosively with a loud whirring of wings. Some variation in plumage, but note strongly spotted underparts and contrasting pale or buffy throat. Frequently found by hearing its loud whistled bob-WHITE! call.
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