White-browed Woodswallow
Immature, back
Ellura
White-browed Woodswallow
Male Profile
 
                 
White-browed Woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Perching Birds (Passeriformes)
Family: Crow (Artamidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: White-browed Woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus)
This Photo:     Male Front

Thank you Louise Merigot for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
These social birds mate for life (ie a male & female pair stay together for life).
The breast colours of males and females vary quite a lot from being nearly grey on some females, and dark chestnut on many males. But sometimes the males are paler with the same colour as darker females.
The best way to differentiate the genders is by observing the white brow. Always heavier/thicker/ on the males. Females also have a black eye patch (between the eye & the bill).
Often found roosting with their Masked cousins. It seems that there have been cases where they have bred as there is an official "cross" taxon set up on iNaturalist.
Notice we only see this species in the summer months. This is because they travel north to the Northern Territory in autumn/winter, and back to South Australia in spring/summer.

Copyright © 2012-2026 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 22-Nov-2012
This species is classed as NT (Near Threatened) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)