Masked Woodswallow
I was puzzled when I heard a series of different bird calls coming from one location. I looked up, expecting to see a butcherbird, as they’re good mimics. Instead I saw what looked like a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, also called a shufflewing. I decided the mimicked noises must be coming from a hidden bird, and I took a photo of what I thought was a cuckoo-shrike anyway.
Later, when I examined the photo and compared it to my bird book, I discovered that the bird doesn’t look quite like a cuckoo-shrike. The black mask is very well defined, whereas that of a cuckoo-shrike has fuzzier edges.
Looking further into birds of a similar appearance, I found that Masked Woodswallows do have some powers of mimicry. So, all in all, I think this is a woodswallow, and it’s the first one that I’ve spotted around Sydney:
Common name: Masked Woodswallow
Scientific name: Artamus personatus
Approximate length: 20 cm
Date spotted: 8 June 2020 (winter)
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’52.9″S 151°15’08.1″E
Posted on 2020/06/08, in Birds, Woodswallow and tagged australia, birds, birdwatching, Sydney birds, Woodswallow. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Sydney Birder 
I just had a bird I thought was a cuckoo shrike but it was making squeeky toy sounds never heard that noise come from a bird
Interesting! It seems like quite a few Australian birds can mimic others. I’ve always thought it was just the big names we hear about so often: the parrots, lyrebirds, and so on.