White-breasted Woodswallow is a small plump
passerine bird which can be mistaken for a swiftlets as it sally for insects on
the fly. Like Beeeaters its catches its prey and return to a perch normally on
power cables before repeating the maneuvour."woodswallow" is a
misnomer as they are not closely related to true swallows. Instead, they belong
to the family Artamidae, which also includes butcherbirds, currawongs and the
Australian Magpie.
This woodswallow's soft-plumage is charcoal grey apart from the white underparts that give the species its English and scientific names. Size about 6-7 inches and I always thought it huge as a dollarbird. It has a pale bluish beak. espite its brush-tipped tongue, usually associated with nectar feeders, it got large, pointed short wings and is very agile in powered and gliding flight. Woodswallow species are nomadic in nature but congregate from time to time, following the best conditions for flying insects, and often roosting in large flocks.
Woodswallows are the only passerines that have powder down patches of feathers that disintegrate into a soft powder that the birds use in grooming feathers in a manner analogous to preen gland secretions in other passerines. They have vestigial outermost primary, short toes, and weak-grasping feet. No wonder they prefer to hang around electrical lines.
Woodswallows are found in a broad spectrum of habitats throughout their range including mangroves, open areas, orchards, towns, open woodlands, forests, and forest edge. In Malaysia they are at the west coast areas. Many species are opportunistic breeders, well adapted to an unpredictable environment, settling down to nest in loose colonies whenever rains come to arid areas. Nests are usually shallow, flimsy bowls of woven plant fibers including rootlets, twigs, and grass, placed in trees, shrubs, stumps, fence posts, or in rocky crevices. The usual clutch is two to four white eggs spotted or blotched with a variety of colors. Both parents incubate for 12–16 days. Fledging occurs 14-20 days later. Both parents and sometimes a helper feed the young.
In Malaysia the only other woodswallow is the Ashy which is also uncommon to see.
This woodswallow's soft-plumage is charcoal grey apart from the white underparts that give the species its English and scientific names. Size about 6-7 inches and I always thought it huge as a dollarbird. It has a pale bluish beak. espite its brush-tipped tongue, usually associated with nectar feeders, it got large, pointed short wings and is very agile in powered and gliding flight. Woodswallow species are nomadic in nature but congregate from time to time, following the best conditions for flying insects, and often roosting in large flocks.
Woodswallows are the only passerines that have powder down patches of feathers that disintegrate into a soft powder that the birds use in grooming feathers in a manner analogous to preen gland secretions in other passerines. They have vestigial outermost primary, short toes, and weak-grasping feet. No wonder they prefer to hang around electrical lines.
Woodswallows are found in a broad spectrum of habitats throughout their range including mangroves, open areas, orchards, towns, open woodlands, forests, and forest edge. In Malaysia they are at the west coast areas. Many species are opportunistic breeders, well adapted to an unpredictable environment, settling down to nest in loose colonies whenever rains come to arid areas. Nests are usually shallow, flimsy bowls of woven plant fibers including rootlets, twigs, and grass, placed in trees, shrubs, stumps, fence posts, or in rocky crevices. The usual clutch is two to four white eggs spotted or blotched with a variety of colors. Both parents incubate for 12–16 days. Fledging occurs 14-20 days later. Both parents and sometimes a helper feed the young.
In Malaysia the only other woodswallow is the Ashy which is also uncommon to see.
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