Habitat
Mainly in dry open woodlands, especially those dominated by sparsely scattered eucalypts, often with a ground-cover of grass and sometimes a sparse shrub layer.
perspicillatus Bonaparte, 1850 - Timor, Leti and Sermata Is, in eastern Lesser Sundas.
melanops Gould, 1865 - Northern, central and inland south-eastern Australia.
normani (Mathews, 1923) - South-central New Guinea and north-eastern Australia (central and southern Cape York Peninsula, and inland north-eastern Queensland).
dealbatus Schodde and Mason, 1999 - East-central Queensland.
inkermani Keast, 1958 - Eastern Queensland (Burdekin River to Burnett River).
Similar Species
Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus) which is much darker and slightly smaller and has a prominent white leading edge to the upper wing, and Little Woodswallow (Artamus minor) which is much darker and much smaller and has a more diffuse and more extensive black face mask, and dirtier brownish-grey underwing and Masked Woodswallow (Artamus personatus) which is larger and slimmer, has a much narrower white tip to the tail and a larger, dark face mask.
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