The White-browed Woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus) is a passerine bird that is endemic to Australia. It is a distinctive looking bird with a white brow over a black head, an upper body a deep blue-grey and a chestnut underbody plumage. The female of the species is paler then the males.

The juvenile birds are mainly brown in colour, with mottled and streaked buff to cream. They lack the white brow.

Like most woodswallow, the White-browed Woodswallow has a bifurcated (divided) tongue.

The White-browed Woodswallow are nomadic birds that are found throughout Australia. They can be found travelling in pairs up to flocks of hundred to thousands of birds. They can be seen in inland Australia, as they are heading north for winter in the Northern Territory and central Queensland, then they head south and south-east in spring for nesting.

Both male and female White-browed Woodswallow help build a loose shape shallow nest up to 6 metres from the ground. The nests are made from twigs, grasses and roots, that are placed in a tree fork, hollow stump or fence post. Both sexes incubate the eggs and feed the young.

Images © Dorothy L


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Passeriformes
  • Family: Artamidae
  • Genus: Artamus
  • Species: A. superciliosus
  • Binomial name: Artamus superciliosus

Footnote & References

  1. White-browed woodswallow, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-browed_woodswallow (last visited May 26, 2021).
  2. White-browed Woodswallow – includes audio, eBird, https://ebird.org/species/whbwoo5