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BEHAVIOUR OF THE BLACK-FACED WOODSWALLOW Artamus cinereus


A nest of the Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus was observed for 22.5 hours during incubation and 32.5 hours during the nestling stage, from a hide placed three metres away. The five attending woodswallows were individually colour-banded. Continuous recordings of vocalizations at the nest were made; sound spectrographs of significant vocalizations are presented. A restricted range of vocalizations was heard at the nest. These included a contact call (qua), nestling calls, greeting calls (quas), at high intensity including a rapid series of 'quas’ as a rattle segment. Alert, alarm and mobbing calls based on the 'qua' syllable at increasing rates and intensities and shorter durations were also recorded. Other aspects of their behaviour such as locomotion, foraging, roosting, body care, courtship and reproduction are described.

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