Alice Springs Desert Park

ASDP BirdsAustralian Boobook Owl Australian Bustard Australian Hobby Banded Lapwing Barn Owl Black Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Black-faced Woodswallow Black-fronted Dotterel Bourke’s Parrot Brown Falcon Emu Inland Dotterel Orange Chat Pied Honeyeater Princess Parrot Rainbow Bee-eater Red-capped Robin Spinifex Pigeon Splendid Fairy-wren Tawny Frogmouth Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-faced Heron White-winged Fairywren

Alice Springs Desert ParkFauna Flora Nature Theatre Nocturnal House

The Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus) are found throughout inland Australia, being birds of wide open spaces. They are seen in agricultural regions and arid desert zones. They are also found near the coastal regions. They are native to Australia, New Guinea and the Sundra Islands.

A very social bird, the Black-faced Woodswallow often present that classical photograph of a group of them sitting together on branches and overhead lines. They also have a distinctive behaviour when roosting of clustering together, especially in a protected hollow. Whilst both parents will look after the nest, a family group are also known to help.

Images © Dorothy L



  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Passeriformes
  • Family: Artamidae
  • Genus: Artamus
  • Species: Artamus cinereus
  • Subspecies:A.c. normani
    • A.c. dealbatus
    • A.c. cinereus
    • A.c. melanops

Footnote & References

  1. Black-faced Woodswallow, BirdLife Australia, https://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/black-faced-woodswallow

ASDP BirdsAustralian Boobook Owl Australian Bustard Australian Hobby Banded Lapwing Barn Owl Black Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Black-faced Woodswallow Black-fronted Dotterel Bourke’s Parrot Brown Falcon Emu Inland Dotterel Orange Chat Pied Honeyeater Princess Parrot Rainbow Bee-eater Red-capped Robin Spinifex Pigeon Splendid Fairy-wren Tawny Frogmouth Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-faced Heron White-winged Fairywren

ASDP FaunaASDP Arachnida ASDP Birds ASDP Insects ASDP Reptiles Dingo Ghost Bat Greater Bilby Numbat Red Kangaroo Short-beaked Echidna Spinifex Hopping Mouse Thorny Devil Western Quoll

Alice Springs Desert ParkFauna Flora Nature Theatre Nocturnal House