White-breasted Woodswallow

Artamus leucorynchus (Linnaeus, 1771)

White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus, is a passerine of Australasia and the Oriental Region, breeding in the Andaman Islands, across the Indonesian Archipelago and the Philippines, through the New Guinea region to northern and eastern Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Palau. It belongs to Artamidae, the family that also includes butcherbirds and currawongs. Its plumage is dark grey above with white underparts, and it has a stout bluish-grey bill with a black tip. The tail is black throughout, and males and females look alike. Juveniles are browner on the head and mantle, with a buff chest and a darker-tipped brown bill.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Artamidae — Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies

Breeding range

Australasia, Oriental Region: Andaman Is., Indonesian Arch., Philippines, New Guinea region, n, e Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Palau (w Caroline Is., w Micronesia)