Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus Scientific name definitions

16–19 cm; 37–42 g. Has slate-grey head with darker mask (lores and area around eye), greyish-maroon mantle and pinkish-grey underparts; white-tipped tail with narrow greyish-white horseshoe-shaped band across uppertail-coverts  ; iris dark brown; bill pale blue-grey, tip black; legs grey to dark grey. Sexes similar. Juvenile resembles adult, but has browner upperparts, with buff feather fringes  on mantle, wing-coverts and remiges, and pale buffish-grey throat and underparts with distinct brownish barring.

Most of Indian Subcontinent (S to Sri Lanka) E to Myanmar, S & SE China (including Hainan), Thailand (except S) and Indochina.

Open wooded country, often with palm trees, also cultivations, to c. 2100 m.

Generally resident, with some local wandering dependent on weather conditions and abundance of food. Some post-breeding movement from higher-lying areas (above 1000 m) to lower levels.

Insectivorous  . Obtains most of its prey in flight . Glides and circles in air in search of food items; also sallies from treetop or other perch, pursuing insects in flight. Sometimes captures items on ground or other solid substrate. Forages singly, in pairs and in small flocks.

A frequently uttered wheezy "chee-chee-chee" or harsh nasal "chek"; also a long pleasant twittering song starting and ending with harsh "chack" notes.

Season Mar–Jul; laying Feb–Jun in Sri Lanka. Nest a shallow loose cup of rootlets and other fibrous material, placed up to c. 12 m above ground, often at junction of palm frond with trunk; occasionally in tree hole; also in pylons  . Clutch 2–4 eggs. Several adults recorded attending a single nest (1 Vyas, R. and Upadhyay, K. (2015). Some notes on the breeding of Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus in Gujarat, India. Indian Birds. 10(1): 19–21. Close ). No other information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Widespread, and fairly common to common over most of its range. Somewhat patchily distributed in W of range. Occurs in many protected areas in most countries within its range.