Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies
Little Woodswallow
Artamus minor
- Family
- Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies (Artamidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
The little woodswallow (Artamus minor), is a bird 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.
As its name suggests, at 12 to 14 cm in length it is the smallest of the woodswallows. It is dark, smoky brown overall, with deep gunmetal grey wings and a black-tipped, blue-tinged bill.
Like other woodswallows, groups cluster huddled close together on high, dead branches to rest or sleep.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Little woodswallow
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
