Birds
Woodswallow
Artamus spp. · also called woodswallows
High above an open grassland, a woodswallow rides a rising thermal without a single wingbeat, circling on long triangular wings in a flight style that would look entirely ordinary from a hawk but is remarkable coming from a songbird.
Overview
Woodswallows, genus Artamus, are highly social songbirds found across open woodland and grassland habitat in Australia, Asia, and the Pacific islands. Their unusual capacity for true soaring flight, rare among perching birds, sets them apart from nearly every other insect-eating songbird family.
A songbird that flies like a hawk
Most songbirds hunt insects with quick, energetic bursts from a fixed perch, but the woodswallow has adopted an entirely different strategy, trading constant flapping for the same kind of effortless, thermal-riding glide usually associated with much larger birds of prey.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and common across suitable open woodland and grassland habitat throughout Australia, Asia, and the Pacific islands.
Woodswallow: common questions
Can woodswallows really soar like a hawk?
Yes, a woodswallow can soar on rising thermals using long, triangular wings, a flight style that closely resembles the soaring behaviour of raptors and is highly unusual among songbirds generally, most of which rely on continuous flapping flight rather than extended, energy-saving glides.
Why do woodswallows huddle together on a branch?
Woodswallows frequently pack tightly together on a shared perch outside of active foraging periods, a highly social behaviour thought to help with warmth, particularly in cooler conditions, as well as improved collective vigilance against approaching predators.
How does a woodswallow catch its food?
A woodswallow hunts flying insects mainly during extended aerial glides and soaring flight high above open ground, a hunting style that differs from many other insectivorous songbirds, which more typically dart out briefly from a fixed perch to snatch passing prey.
Where do woodswallows live?
Woodswallow species are found across open woodland and grassland habitat throughout Australia, parts of Asia, and various Pacific islands, generally favouring open terrain that supports extended soaring flight while hunting for insects.