White-backed Swallow

Cheramoeca leucosterna (Gould, 1841)

White-backed Swallow, Cheramoeca leucosterna, is a swallow of Australia, found across much of the continent except the north, south-east and Tasmania. It is the only species in Cheramoeca. Its most obvious feature is the white back set against black wings and tail. The adult has a mottled grey cap, white eyebrows, a grey eye, a dark line from the lores over the nape, and a white breast. It favours open grassland and low shrubs, especially near creek beds in the breeding season, and nests in a horizontal tunnel dug into a vertical dirt cliff.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Hirundinidae — Swallows, Martins

Breeding range

Australasia: Australia (except n, se, Tasmania)