Dusky Woodswallow - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Artamus cyanopterus cyanopterus

Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Gazetted date: 05 Aug 2016

Profile last updated: 01 Dec 2017

Description

The dusky woodswallow is a medium-sized bird (16-19.5 cm, 35 g), with a longish tail. Mostly dark grey-brown, merging to blackish on the tail, with a small black-brown mask. Bluish bill with a black tip. Upper-wings are a dark blue-grey with a white leading edge. Conspicuous white corners on the tail. In flight the dark grey-brown under-body contrasts with the whitish under-wing. Juveniles may be distinguished by white streaking on the body and whitish tips on wing feathers. Immature individuals are similar to adults but retain pale-tipped wing feathers. No seasonal variation in appearance is evident, and sexes are alike. Calls consist of brassy chirps, chirups, a soft low 'vut vut' and a brisk 'peet peet'. Also known to mimic other birds, including the rufous whistler and grey shrike-thrush.

Distribution

Dusky woodswallows are widespread in eastern, southern and south western Australia. The species occurs throughout most of New South Wales, but is sparsely scattered in, or largely absent from, much of the upper western region. Most breeding activity occurs on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range.

Habitat and ecology

Primarily inhabit dry, open eucalypt forests and woodlands, including mallee associations, with an open or sparse understorey of eucalypt saplings, acacias and other shrubs, and ground-cover of grasses or sedges and fallen woody debris. It has also been recorded in shrublands, heathlands and very occasionally in moist forest or rainforest. Also found in farmland, usually at the edges of forest or woodland.
Primarily eats invertebrates, mainly insects, which are captured whilst hovering or sallying above the canopy or over water. Also frequently hovers, sallies and pounces under the canopy, primarily over leaf litter and dead timber. Also occasionally take nectar, fruit and seed.
Depending on location and local climatic conditions (primarily temperature and rainfall), the dusky woodswallow can be resident year round or migratory. In NSW, after breeding, birds migrate to the north of the state and to southeastern Queensland, while Tasmanian birds migrate to southeastern NSW after breeding. Migrants generally depart between March and May, heading south to breed again in spring. There is some evidence of site fidelity for breeding. Although dusky woodswallows generally breed as solitary pairs or occasionally in small flocks, large flocks may form around abundant food sources in winter. Large flocks may also form before migration, which is often undertaken with other species.
Nest is an open, cup-shape, made of twigs, grass, fibrous rootlets and occasionally casuarina needles, and may be lined with grass, rootlets or infrequently horsehair, occasionally unlined. Nest sites vary greatly, but generally occur in shrubs or low trees, living or dead, horizontal or upright forks in branches, spouts, hollow stumps or logs, behind loose bark or in a hollow in the top of a wooden fence post. Nest sites may be exposed or well concealed by foliage.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

Historical and ongoing loss of woodlands and dry open sclerophyll forests, including mallee because of agriculture, mining, forestry and residential development.
Reduction in area, and increased isolation of patches of remnant woodland and open forest.
Ongoing degradation of habitat through the loss of dead timber, removal of coarse woody debris and other disturbances of the ground layer.
Aggressive exclusion by over abundant noisy miners.
Reduction in the availability of food resources due to overgrazing and loss of leaf litter.
Lack of knowledge within the community regarding the species and its habitat requirements.
Habitat degradation from invasion by weeds including exotic grasses and woody weeds, and inappropriate land uses.

Recovery strategies

A targeted strategy for managing this species has been developed under the Saving Our Species program; click here for details. For more information on the Saving Our Species program click here

Activities to assist this species

Retain and protect patches of dry open eucalypt forest and woodland from clearing and fragmentation .
Expand and reconnect smaller patches of open eucalypt forest and woodland by fencing and encouraging natural regeneration or applying revegetation techniques where regeneration fails.
Undertake revegetation works to establish patches of open eucalypt forest and woodland. Include sparse shrubs and coarse woody debris.
Prevent loss of fallen and standing dead timber and fallen woody debris from existing habitat patches, including prevention of firewood collection, removal of stags and stumps and general 'tidying-up'.
Modify grazing management practices so as to retain leaf litter, sparse understorey shrubs, coarse woody debris and a complex ground layer.
Retain or create sparse shrubby understorey so as to limit competition from noisy miners.

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

Australian Alps	Snowy Mountains	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Inglewood Sandstones	Predicted	None
Brigalow Belt South	Liverpool Plains	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Liverpool Range	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Moonie-Barwon Interfluve	Predicted	None
Brigalow Belt South	Narrandool	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Northern Basalts	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Northern Outwash	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Pilliga	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Pilliga Outwash	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Talbragar Valley	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Barrier Range	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Barrier Range Outwash	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Mootwingee Downs	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Scopes Range	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Bulloo	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Bulloo Dunefields	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Central Depression	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Core Ranges	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Sturt Stony Desert	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Barnato Downs	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Boorindal Plains	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Canbelego Downs	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Lachlan Plains	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Nymagee	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Bogan-Macquarie	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Castlereagh-Barwon	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Culgoa-Bokhara	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Great Darling Anabranch	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Louth Plains	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Menindee	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Pooncarie-Darling	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Warrambool-Moonie	Predicted	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Wilcannia Plains	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Cuttaburra-Paroo	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Kerribree Basin	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Nebine Plains	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Paroo Overflow	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Paroo-Darling Sands	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Urisino Sandplains	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Warrego Plains	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Warrego Sands	Known	None
Mulga Lands	West Warrego	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	White Cliffs Plateau	Predicted	None
Murray Darling Depression	Braemer	Predicted	None
Murray Darling Depression	Darling Depression	Known	None
Murray Darling Depression	Murray Mallee	Predicted	None
Murray Darling Depression	South Olary Plain	Known	None
Nandewar	Inverell Basalts	Known	None
Nandewar	Kaputar	Known	None
Nandewar	Nandewar Northern Complex	Known	None
Nandewar	Peel	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Armidale Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Beardy River Hills	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Binghi Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Bundarra Downs	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Deepwater Downs	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Eastern Nandewars	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Ebor Basalts	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Glenn Innes-Guyra Basalts	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Moredun Volcanics	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Nightcap	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Northeast Forest Lands	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Round Mountain	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Severn River Volcanics	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Stanthorpe Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Tenterfield Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Tingha Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Walcha Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Wongwibinda Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Yarrowyck-Kentucky Downs	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Barrington	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Carrai Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Cataract	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Chaelundi	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Coffs Coast and Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Comboyne Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Dalmorton	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Ellerston	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Guy Fawkes	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Karuah Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Gorges	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Hastings	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Mummel Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Rocky River Gorge	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Tomalla	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Hunter	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Washpool	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Yuraygir	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Capertee Valley	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Inland Slopes	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Lower Slopes	Known	None
Ocean	Batemans Shelf	Known	None
Ocean	Hawkesbury Shelf	Known	None
Ocean	Tweed-Moreton	Known	None
Ocean	Twofold Shelf	Known	None
Ocean - Other State	Southern Australian Coastal Waters	Known	None
Other State	ACT	Known	None
Other State	Jervis Bay Territory	Known	None
Other State	QLD	Known	None
Other State	SA	Known	None
Other State	TAS	Predicted	None
Other State	VIC	Known	None
Riverina	Lachlan	Known	None
Riverina	Murray Fans	Known	None
Riverina	Murray Scroll Belt	Known	None
Riverina	Murrumbidgee	Known	None
Riverina	Robinvale Plains	Known	None
Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields	Strzelecki Desert	Predicted	None
South East Corner	Bateman	Known	None
South East Corner	East Gippsland Lowlands	Known	None
South East Corner	South East Coastal Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bathurst	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bondo	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bungonia	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Capertee Uplands	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Crookwell	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Highlands-Northern Fall	Predicted	None
South Eastern Highlands	Hill End	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Kanangra	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Kybeyan-Gourock	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Monaro	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Murrumbateman	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Oberon	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Orange	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Burringbar-Conondale Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Lowlands	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Sandstones	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Scenic Rim	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Woodenbong	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Burragorang	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Cumberland	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Ettrema	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Hunter	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Illawarra	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Jervis	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Kerrabee	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Moss Vale	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Pittwater	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Sydney Cataract	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wollemi	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wyong	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Yengo	Known	None

Related information

dusky woodswallow artamus cyanopterus cyanopterus vulnerable species listing

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