Black-faced Woodswallow

Black Facial Swallow Star ( Artamus cinereus )

Features

The 18 cm long black face Swallow Star has a smoke-colored back, a lighter underside, a white tail tip, a black face and a black rump. The rump is sometimes colored white.

Occurrence

This bird lives in sparse forests and in the bush in Australia, Timor and southern New Guinea.

Behavior

The black face Swallow Star spends the most time in the air and chasing there incessantly after flying insects. On the ground, he comes with his short legs not moving very well. The bird lives in small groups consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring. Often the birds densely packed together engage in columns or on forked branches.

Reproduction

The black face Swallow Star is a colony breeders. In a shallow, cup -shaped nest of twigs, grass and roots on a tree stump or on branches of three to four eggs are incubated for about two weeks. The young are reared with the help of older siblings.