Woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds found in Australia and the islands nearby. Given their moderate size—about the same as a Common Starling—and dull plumage, they are amongst the easiest of birds to observe and recognise. In flight, they look very like large, stiff-winged swallows, and like swallows, they mostly eat flying insects. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Subfamilies Artaminae Cracticinae The family Artamidae gathers together 20 species of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia and nearby areas. ... Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot (May 10, 1748 - 1831) was a French ornithologist. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Binomial name Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Starling or European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae. ... Genera Many, see text. ...

Woodswallows are smooth, agile flyers with moderately large, semi-triangular wings. They are among the very few passerines birds that soar, and can often be seen feeding just above the treetops. One sedentary species aside, they are nomads, following the best conditions for flying insects, and often roosting in large flocks. Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ...

Although woodswallows have a brush-tipped tongue they seldom use it for gathering nectar.

Species of Artamus

• Ashy Woodswallow, Artamus fuscus
• Fiji Woodswallow, Artamus mentalis
• White-backed Woodswallow, Artamus monachus
• Great Woodswallow, Artamus maximus
• White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus
• Bismarck Woodswallow, Artamus insignis
• Masked Woodswallow, Artamus personatus
• White-browed Woodswallow, Artamus superciliosus
• Black-faced Woodswallow, Artamus cinereus
• Dusky Woodswallow, Artamus cyanopterus
• Little Woodswallow, Artamus minor

Binomial name Artamus fuscus (Vieillot, 1817) The Ashy Woodswallow, Artamus fuscus, is a woodswallow which is found in south Asia. ... Binomial name Artamus leucorynchus (Linnaeus, 1771) The White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus, is a small passerine bird which breeds from the Andaman Islands east through Indonesia to Fiji and northern Australia. ... Binomial name Artamus superciliosus (Gould, 1837) The White-browed Woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus) is a moderately-sized passerine bird native to inland Australia. ... Binomial name Artamus cinereus Vieillot, 1817 The Black-faced Woodswallow is a woodswallow. ... Binomial name Artamus minor Vieillot, 1817 The Little Woodswallow (Artamus minor), is patchily distributed over much of mainland Australia, avoiding only the driest deserts and the area within about 300 kilometres of the southern coastline, and showing a preference for rugged terrain around inland ranges. ...

External links

• Woodswallow videos on the Internet Bird Collection