Common. Sedentary in the far north, seasonally nomadic elsewhere, especially in the south of its range.
Habitat
Open sclerophyll forests and woodlands, closely associated with water, including wetlands, large and small water courses and associated floodplains, irrigation channels, swamps, waterholes and bores.
Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Palau (B), Papua New Guinea, Philippines (B), South Korea (B), Timor-Leste (B) (NB), Vanuatu.
From Shark Bay, WA through northern and eastern Australia to central Victori and to eastern South Australia. A straggler to Tasmania. Also on islands in the Western Pacific.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) [XC666996]
by Marc Anderson from Nightcliff, Darwin Municipality, Northern Territory, Australia (call)
White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) [XC526161]
by Frank Lambert from Bramston Beach, Cairns Regional, Queensland, Australia (call)
Nest
Cup-shaped, composed of dried grasses, built in the fork of a small tree or in a hollow spout, frequently in an old nest of a Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca).
Eggs (Guide)
3 or 4; white with purple-brown blotches concentrated at the larger end; oval; about 23 x 17 mm. Incubation: possibly 13 - 15 days; by both sexes.
Proposed subspecies celebensis (from Sulawesi) and longipennis (Peleng, off eastern Sulawesi) considered synonymous with albiventer.
The following 9 subspecies are recognised:
leucorynchus (Linnaeus, 1771) - Philippines, Sulu Is, Natuna Is, and Borneo (including islands off northern coast and Maratua, off eastern coast).
humei Stresemann, 1913 - Coco Is (north of Andamans) and Andaman Is.
pelewensis Finsch, 1876 - Palau Is, west of Micronesia.
amydrus Oberholser, 1917 - Sumatra, western Peninsular Malaysia, Bangka I, Java, Masalembu Besar (in eastern Java Sea), Kangean Is, and Bali.
albiventer (Lesson, R, 1831) - Sulawesi and Lesser Sundas (Lombok to Timor and Wetar).
musschenbroeki Meyer, AB, 1884 - Babar and Tanimbar Is, in eastern Lesser Sundas.
leucopygialis Gould, 1842 - Moluccas, New Guinea, Aru Is and northern and eastern Australia.
tenuis Mayr, 1943 - Banks Is and Vanuatu.
melaleucus (Wagler, 1827) - New Caledonia and Loyalty Is.
Similar Species
Adults and immatures in brief or poor views with Masked Woodswallow (Artamus personatus).
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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