White-breasted Woodswallow

The white-breasted woodswallow is a medium-sized 16.5–18.5 cm Artamus with a dark grey head and upper breast, white underparts and a stout bluish-grey bill tipped black. It is not closely related to true swallows; Artamidae also includes butcherbirds and currawongs. Linnaeus described it in 1771, and nine subspecies are recognized across its broad tropical range (Australian Museum; general species account).

It breeds from the Andaman Islands through Southeast Asia and Indonesia to northern Australia and Pacific islands. Woodswallows catch flying insects and can use brush-tipped tongues to take nectar; they perch conspicuously and gather socially. Korea lies far north of the established range, so any record is exceptional and should be documented against similar aerial insectivores. No Korean breeding or regular seasonality is inferred (Australian Museum; general species account).