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White-backed Swallow (Cheramoeca leucosterna)

The White-backed Swallow is a distinctive black-and-white Australian swallow of open inland country. It excavates nest tunnels in earthen banks, including road cuts, riverbanks and quarries, so clearing, earthworks and bank stabilisation can affect active breeding places. It is listed as least concern and is not listed as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened in Australia, but in Queensland it is a least concern colonial breeder and tampering with a breeding place requires a high risk species management program.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Colonial breeder. Least concern in Queensland, but it breeds in colonies, so tampering with a breeding place needs a high risk species management program rather than the low risk program.

Breeding season

White-backed Swallows mainly breed from July to December, with breeding activity also fitting the broader Australian hirundine pattern of August to December. Timing can shift with rainfall, food availability and local conditions, particularly in inland areas.

Breeding mode: Colonial breeder. Birds may breed in colonies or shared breeding areas, although the number of breeding pairs at a site is not well documented.

Breeding place: A horizontal tunnel is excavated into an earthen bank, dirt cliff, road cut, river bank, sandy bank or quarry face. The nest is at the end of a tunnel that can be about 1 m long.

Clutch size: Four to six white eggs per clutch.

Incubation: About 14 to 16 days. Both parents share incubation.

Fledging and parental care: Young fledge after a further 14 to 16 days and are cared for by both parents.

Breeding frequency and maturity: Age at maturity and the number of broods per season are not recorded.

Colonies and active breeding places: A quarry colony of about 80 birds has been recorded, and up to 27 birds have been found roosting in one burrow. Treat a bank as potentially active when birds repeatedly enter or leave tunnels, carry food or nesting material, or show alarm at the bank face. Site fidelity and species-specific disturbance distances are not recorded, so avoid flushing birds and keep works away from active banks using a site-specific buffer. Schedule earthworks outside July to December where practicable.

Breeding timing and breeding success can vary between years and regions in response to rainfall, weather and insect availability, so inspect likely banks before works even outside the main July to December period.

  • Breeding and nest excavation: Adults excavate or maintain horizontal nest tunnels in exposed earthen banks during the breeding season.
  • Eggs and nestlings in bank burrows: Eggs and nestlings may be present inside bank tunnels from July to December.
  • Dependent young and fledging: Dependent young may remain associated with the nesting bank while both parents provide care, with fledging occurring about 14 to 16 days after hatching.
  • Communal roosting and flocking: White-backed Swallows can roost communally in burrows and are often seen in small flocks, but seasonal roost changes are not recorded.
  • Aerial foraging and local presence: Adults forage on flying insects over open country, grassland, low shrubs and creek beds throughout the year when conditions allow.
  • Highest clearing risk: Earthworks, vibration, dust, vehicle access or bank removal from July to December can harm eggs, nestlings, dependent young and concentrated birds, so avoid active banks and do not proceed without ecological inspection and a site-specific buffer.

Identification: Appearance and size

The White-backed Swallow is a compact, fast-flying swallow with a strong black-and-white pattern. It is usually seen alone or in small flocks over open country, often moving quickly and low over the ground.

Adults have a prominent white back and upper breast, contrasting with black wings, belly and a deeply forked tail. The cap is mottled grey, the eyebrows are white, and the bill, wings and tail are dark.

The sexes are similarly coloured. Young birds are duller. The species is about 15 cm long and has a slender, streamlined shape with long pointed wings.

Likely flight impression: Fast, direct flight with frequent turns while pursuing insects.

  • White upper back, not just a pale rump.
  • Black belly, wings and strongly forked tail.
  • Short black bill and grey legs and feet.
  • Call is a clipped “chik”.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The clipped “chik” call can help confirm a sighting when the bird is moving quickly. There is no echolocation.

Fairy Martins and Tree Martins have a pale rump rather than the White-backed Swallow’s broad white upper back. Welcome Swallows have a completely dark back.

  • Check the back pattern before identifying a fast-flying swallow.
  • Use photographs or repeated observations where the bird is too distant for a confident identification.

Identification: Field signs

The most useful site signs are active birds entering or leaving holes in an exposed bank, repeated flight to one section of bank, and fresh excavation around a tunnel entrance.

The nest is made from dried grass leaves and twigs at the end of a burrow that can extend about 1 m into the bank. Droppings, feathers or small amounts of whitewash may occur below occupied entrances, but these signs are not reliable on their own.

  • Look for a horizontal tunnel in a vertical or near-vertical earthen face.
  • Do not insert tools, cameras or hands into a tunnel.
  • Treat repeated adult activity at a bank as a possible active breeding place until checked by an appropriately experienced ecologist.

Distribution: Australian range

The White-backed Swallow is endemic to Australia and is associated mainly with inland and open parts of the continent. Its distribution can expand after inland rainfall, so a site outside the usual arid range may still be used at particular times.

The species occurs across a wide area of Australia, from southern latitudes north to about the Tropic of Capricorn. It is associated with arid and semi-arid inland regions and has been recorded in all of the mapped states and territories: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

After inland rainfall, its range may extend across much of southern Australia, including desert regions.

  • Search exposed banks along inland rivers and creeks.
  • Include road cuttings, quarries and other artificial earth faces in site inspections.
  • Do not assume that a temporary absence means the site is unused.

Distribution: Movement and seasonal context

The species has no known large-scale seasonal movements. Local abundance and distribution may change with rainfall, insect availability and the condition of creek beds and other open habitats.

Small flocks may be encountered outside the breeding season, while breeding activity is most likely around suitable banks during the main breeding period.

Main breeding period: July to December, based on available species information.

Rainfall response: Inland rainfall can broaden the area in which the species is encountered.

Distribution: Site assessment

During a pre-clearing inspection, map all exposed banks, creek lines, river margins, quarries, road cuts and stock or erosion banks. Record the face height and condition, tunnel entrances, bird activity and any planned disturbance.

Where works extend along a watercourse or bank, inspect the full length of the proposed disturbance area and nearby faces that may be used for breeding or communal roosting.

  • Use binoculars to inspect bank faces before approaching.
  • Photograph entrances and surrounding bank condition from a safe distance.
  • Record observations by date, time, location and activity type.

Habitat: Vegetation and landscape

White-backed Swallows favour open country rather than dense forest. On works sites, the most useful habitat clues are open inland landscapes, creek beds and exposed earth faces that provide both nest banks and nearby flying space.

Look in open grassland, low shrubland and arid or semi-arid country. Breeding habitat is often associated with creek beds, river margins and other places where vertical banks have formed.

Vegetation on the bank may be sparse or absent. Nearby open ground is useful because it allows low, unobstructed insect-feeding flights.

  • Open grassland and low shrubs.
  • Dry creek beds and river corridors.
  • Open inland and semi-arid landscapes.
  • Sparse vegetation around sandy or earthen banks.

Habitat: Landforms and site features

Potential habitat includes natural riverbanks, creek banks, sandy cliffs and exposed earth banks. Artificial or modified faces such as road cuttings and quarry walls may also be used.

A vertical or near-vertical face with firm, workable material is more likely to support a tunnel than loose collapsing spoil.

  • Inspect both sides of watercourses where access and safety allow.
  • Include quarry walls, borrow areas and road batters in habitat checks.
  • Keep plant and machinery away from unstable faces and tunnel entrances.

Habitat: Habitat condition

A bank may remain suitable even where surrounding vegetation has been cleared. Conversely, heavy erosion, slumping, bank armouring or dense regrowth can remove suitable nesting faces.

Assess the bank itself, the adjacent flight space and access for predators or machinery.

  • Look for fresh cracks, slumping and recent earth movement.
  • Note rock armouring, concrete lining and planned bank reshaping.
  • Retain suitable undisturbed faces where the design allows.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding areas

The White-backed Swallow catches almost all of its food in flight. Foraging habitat is therefore open airspace over grassland, low shrubs, creek beds and other open ground near potential breeding banks.

The diet includes flying insects such as winged flies, wasps, bugs and beetles. Caddisflies and wind-drifted spiders are also taken. Prey choice depends on size, ease of capture and local abundance.

Birds may fly low over open areas and creek beds, or form small feeding flocks. The species can also feed communally outside the breeding season.

  • Open airspace above grassland and low shrubs.
  • Creek beds, river corridors and wet areas that support flying insects.
  • Open ground near banks and quarry faces.
  • Areas where insect activity increases after rain or warmer weather.

Foraging habitat: What to look for during surveys

Watch for repeated low flight lines, rapid turns and birds converging over creek beds or open ground. A group feeding over one area does not by itself confirm a nearby colony.

Survey observations are more useful when linked to mapped banks, tunnel entrances and the proposed work footprint.

  • Scan the airspace as well as the ground and bank faces.
  • Record flight direction, approximate height and whether birds repeatedly return to one area.
  • Avoid prolonged activity that causes birds to divert from feeding or nesting areas.

Foraging habitat: Construction considerations

Dust, smoke, intense lighting, vehicle movement and loss of open airspace can reduce the usefulness of a local feeding area. These effects may be temporary, but they can add to disturbance at a nearby breeding bank.

Keep access tracks, stockpiles and mobile plant away from the base of occupied or potentially occupied banks where practicable.

  • Control dust near banks and creek corridors.
  • Keep lighting directed away from banks and adjoining open flight space.
  • Avoid unnecessary vehicle movements beside active breeding places.

Breeding habitat: Nest and tunnel

The White-backed Swallow excavates a horizontal tunnel in an earthen bank and builds a grass and twig nest at the tunnel end. Breeding places can occur in natural creek and river banks or in modified faces created by roads and quarries.

The nest is positioned at the end of a burrow about 1 m long. Both adults may excavate the tunnel. The entrance is usually a small horizontal opening in a vertical or near-vertical dirt face.

Suitable faces may be sandy, compacted or otherwise workable, but the notes do not define a preferred soil type or minimum bank dimensions.

Tunnel length: About 1 m to the nest, based on the available species account.

  • Inspect vertical dirt cliffs, sandy banks and road cuts.
  • Search for more than one entrance on each suitable face.
  • Treat freshly excavated entrances and regular bird traffic as signs of possible current use.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing

Breeding in Australian hirundines is concentrated mainly from August to December, with species-specific information for the White-backed Swallow indicating mainly July to December. Timing can vary with rainfall, weather and insect availability.

Plan bank clearing, trimming, stabilisation and excavation outside the main breeding period wherever practicable.

Eggs: Four to six eggs per clutch have been reported.

Incubation: About 14 to 16 days.

Fledging: About 14 to 16 days after hatching.

  • Complete detailed inspections before earthworks begin.
  • Recheck banks if works are delayed into the breeding period.
  • Stop and seek ecological advice if active nesting is found during works.

Breeding habitat: Active breeding place recognition

An active breeding place may have adults entering or leaving a tunnel, adults carrying nesting material or food, fresh soil at an entrance, begging young, or recently fledged birds around the bank. Activity can be brief, so inspect more than once when conditions allow.

Do not collapse, plug, scrape, spray or fill a tunnel. Do not stand directly in front of an entrance or repeatedly approach the face.

  • Use binoculars from outside the likely flight path.
  • Watch for adult entry and exit over a suitable observation period.
  • Mark the location without touching the bank.
  • Refer uncertain signs to a suitably experienced fauna ecologist.

Breeding habitat: Protection during works

There is no species-specific disturbance distance or standard buffer stated for the White-backed Swallow. Set a site-specific exclusion area with the project ecologist, considering the bank, tunnel direction, flight path, machinery vibration, dust, noise and the likelihood of birds being flushed.

Keep works outside the nesting period where practicable. If work must occur nearby during breeding, use a clearly marked buffer and monitor for flushing or altered adult activity.

  • Do not use a generic buffer without assessing the bank and proposed activity.
  • Keep workers, vehicles and machinery out of the exclusion area.
  • Review the buffer if birds repeatedly flush, stop entering the tunnel or circle the work area.
  • Obtain any required Queensland approval or management program before tampering with a breeding place.

Sheltering habitat: Roost features

White-backed Swallows roost communally in burrows and may use nest banks for shelter. Roosting information is limited, so an apparently unused tunnel or quarry face should not be disturbed without checking for evening or early morning use.

A single burrow has held up to 27 birds at one time. A roost may therefore be easy to miss if inspections are made only during the day or only at one entrance.

Look for groups entering a bank near dusk, birds emerging at first light and repeated use of particular tunnels or sections of a quarry face.

Recorded communal roost: Up to 27 birds in one burrow.

  • Inspect likely banks near dusk when safe and permitted.
  • Use quiet observation from outside the flight path.
  • Record the number of birds, entrances used and timing of entry or exit.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter and weather

Burrows provide protection from weather and may help birds conserve energy when food is scarce. Some swallows, apparently including this species, may enter torpor when food availability and body weight are low.

Avoid assuming that a quiet bank is unimportant. Roost use may not produce the same daytime activity as nesting.

  • Retain stable, undisturbed banks where possible.
  • Avoid night works near suspected roosts until use has been assessed.
  • Minimise vibration, dust and direct lighting at bank faces.

Sheltering habitat: Maternity roosts and non-breeding use

The species is managed as a colonial breeder in the Queensland regulatory context. A shared breeding place or communal roost can hold a substantial part of the local group, even when only a few entrances are visible.

The term maternity roost is more commonly used for bats. For this swallow, describe the feature as a breeding colony, communal roost or shared breeding place, as appropriate.

  • Map all entrances and nearby faces, not just the most active hole.
  • Treat a communal roost as a potential breeding place until its use is resolved.
  • Keep works outside the main breeding period where practicable.

Colonies and breeding places: What a colony or shared roost may look like

White-backed Swallows can use shared breeding places and communal burrows. Colonies may be associated with quarry faces or concentrations of suitable river and road banks, so one disturbed face can affect many birds at once.

A colony may consist of many tunnel entrances in one bank or quarry face, with birds repeatedly entering and leaving the same section. A communal roost may have fewer visible entrances but groups of birds gathering near dusk or emerging together at first light.

One recorded quarry colony contained about 80 birds. The number of breeding pairs, nest density and area occupied by that colony were not established.

Recorded colony: About 80 birds in a quarry.

Recorded roost: Up to 27 birds in one burrow.

  • Multiple entrances close together.
  • Repeated adult traffic to one bank or quarry face.
  • Groups of birds perched near the face or entering tunnels together.
  • Fresh spoil, nest material or droppings below several entrances.

Colonies and breeding places: Likely colony locations

For this species, prioritise earthen riverbanks, creek banks, road cuts, quarry faces, sandy cliffs and other exposed earth banks. The broader category of colonial birds can also use wetland trees, lignum, reedbeds, islands, sandbanks, cliffs, culverts, bridges and caves, but those features are not established breeding places for the White-backed Swallow in this profile.

Inspect modified landscapes as carefully as natural ones. A quarry or road cut can function as a shared breeding place even where the surrounding land has been cleared.

  • Natural banks along rivers and creeks.
  • Road cuttings and exposed batters.
  • Quarries and borrow areas.
  • Sandy cliffs and stable earth faces.

Colonies and breeding places: Site fidelity and repeat use

Species-specific nest or burrow reuse has not been established. Until repeat use is resolved, treat a suitable bank with previous colony signs as potentially important in later seasons, particularly where the face remains stable and birds are present after rainfall.

Map the location and retain records between project stages and seasons. This helps identify recurring breeding places and avoid reopening the same risk.

  • Keep photographs and mapped coordinates in the project fauna register.
  • Compare current entrances with earlier inspection records.
  • Reinspect after substantial rain, bank movement or changes to surrounding land use.

Colonies and breeding places: Disturbance, flushing and buffers

Colonial birds can be affected by one disturbance event across many nests or roosting birds. Flushing adults may leave eggs or young exposed, interrupt feeding and cause repeated energy loss. Sudden vibration, excavation, bank collapse, lighting and people approaching the face can all be significant.

No fixed White-backed Swallow disturbance distance is established here. The project ecologist should set a buffer around the full active colony, including the face, tunnel area, access routes and the main flight path. Keep works outside the nesting period where practicable and use monitoring if work near an active colony cannot be avoided.

  • Do not approach entrances to confirm occupancy by looking into tunnels.
  • Use exclusion fencing and clear signage before machinery arrives.
  • Stop work if birds repeatedly flush, circle, alarm call or stop entering tunnels.
  • For Queensland projects, confirm whether a high risk species management program is required before tampering with a breeding place.

Threats: Bank excavation and clearing

The main worksite risks are direct damage to occupied banks, disturbance of colonies and loss of suitable earth faces. The species is currently least concern, but local breeding places can still be important and difficult to replace.

Excavation, grading, road widening, quarrying, bank reshaping and vegetation removal can destroy tunnels or make a face unsuitable. Bank armouring, concrete lining and aggressive erosion control can remove the soft or exposed earth needed for excavation.

Inspect and map banks before design finalisation, not only immediately before clearing.

  • Avoid removing occupied or potentially occupied faces.
  • Retain stable vertical banks where safe and compatible with the design.
  • Use a fauna ecologist to assess unavoidable bank disturbance.

Threats: Construction disturbance

Plant movement, vibration, dust, noise, lighting and workers near a colony can flush adults or disrupt communal roosting. Repeated disturbance is more likely to affect a colony than a single brief observation.

Keep access, laydown areas, stockpiles and lighting away from active banks. Use a marked exclusion area and brief all personnel before work starts.

  • Locate haul routes away from active faces.
  • Control dust and avoid directing lights at entrances.
  • Restrict unnecessary night work near suspected roosts.
  • Monitor bird behaviour during nearby works.

Threats: Predators and altered access

Foxes and cats are known nest predators. Cleared ground, rubbish, food waste and new access tracks can increase predator activity around banks and quarries.

Keep work areas clean and avoid creating easy predator access to colony faces. Do not leave open trenches or materials that allow predators or people to approach entrances.

  • Secure food waste and remove attractants.
  • Inspect trenches and pits for trapped fauna.
  • Limit unnecessary access to colony areas.
  • Report evidence of predation or repeated disturbance to the site ecologist.

Threats: Water, erosion and land management

Flooding and rainfall can alter creek banks, insect availability and the condition of nesting faces. Sudden erosion may remove tunnels, while bank stabilisation may remove future nesting habitat. Water management for a waterbird colony is not usually the primary issue for this species, but changes to creek flows and bank condition can still affect its breeding habitat.

Plan drainage, dewatering and bank works so that they do not undercut or collapse active faces. Reassess banks after major rainfall or flooding.

  • Prevent concentrated runoff from scouring active or suitable banks.
  • Avoid dewatering or diverting flow directly beside occupied faces.
  • Check for new colonies after rainfall and before returning to deferred works.
  • Keep records of bank condition before and after construction.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Survey for White-backed Swallows should combine daytime bird searches with a careful inspection of exposed earth banks. The species is not well covered by detailed survey protocols, so record the location and condition of every potential nesting bank, burrow and communal roost.

Review aerial imagery, topographic maps, previous fauna records and proposed disturbance areas before entering the site.

Map earthen banks, road cuts, creek and river banks, quarries, sandy cliffs and other exposed ground that could support horizontal nesting tunnels.

Check whether works could affect an occupied colony, communal roost, foraging area or access to a breeding bank.

  • Record bank height, slope, substrate, erosion, vegetation cover and access for machinery.
  • Identify nearby open grassland, low shrubland and creek beds used for aerial foraging.
  • Check relevant state and local wildlife records, planning conditions and approval requirements.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime field search

Search in suitable weather when birds are active and visibility is good. Avoid relying on a single brief visit.

Watch open areas above grassland, low shrubs and creek beds for black and white swallows with a prominent white back and deeply forked black tail.

Listen for the clipped chik call and look for small feeding flocks. Search exposed banks for horizontal tunnels, fresh digging, droppings, feathers, tracks and birds entering or leaving burrows.

  • Walk or scan all potential banks from a safe distance before approaching the face.
  • Use binoculars to inspect entrances and observe flight paths without standing directly below a bank.
  • Inspect quarry faces, road cuts and river banks where access and safety controls allow.
  • Do not enter or disturb a tunnel to determine whether it is occupied.

Survey methodology: 3. Timing and repeat visits

Plan surveys during the local breeding period, which is mainly July to December. Australian hirundine breeding commonly occurs from August to December, with some records outside those months.

Repeat the search where habitat is suitable but birds are not detected on the first visit. Breeding activity can vary with rainfall and insect availability.

White-backed Swallows do not undertake large-scale seasonal movements, but inland rainfall can alter local distribution and activity.

  • Survey after rain or during periods when flying insects are available, where this can be done safely and without delaying urgent works.
  • Allow enough time to inspect every potential nesting bank and observe activity at likely entrances.
  • Use an ecologist or fauna spotter catcher experienced in identifying swallows and bank-nesting birds where a colony may be present.

Survey methodology: 4. Records and mapping

Record observations precisely enough to support a site decision and later compliance reporting.

Treat a group of birds using the same bank, quarry face or cluster of tunnels as a potential colony until its status is resolved. A quarry colony of about 80 birds has been recorded, and up to 27 birds have been recorded in one burrow at once.

  • Map each active or potentially active burrow, colony, communal roost and flight path with coordinates.
  • Record date, time, weather, rainfall history, observer effort, number of birds, behaviour and photographs where these can be taken without disturbance.
  • Describe whether birds are entering tunnels, carrying nesting material, feeding young, alarm calling or repeatedly returning to the site.
  • Record evidence of predators, erosion, stock access, vehicles, machinery and other pressures.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and planning

Avoid disturbing occupied banks, tunnels and communal roosts wherever practicable. Resolve the status of a potential breeding place before clearing, excavation, blasting, drilling, bank stabilisation or vibration-generating works begin.

Confirm the species and habitat assessment against the project approval conditions before work starts.

Refer a project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 if the action may significantly affect a relevant protected matter. Obtain any approval before taking the action if required.

In Queensland, treat an occupied colony or shared breeding place as a high risk matter for a least concern colonial breeder. Obtain and follow the required high risk species management program under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 before tampering with the breeding place.

Check state and territory wildlife legislation, scientific or damage mitigation permit requirements, local planning conditions and any authority to remove or disturb native animals.

  • Keep permits, approvals, the management program and contact details for the regulator on site.
  • Use a qualified ecologist to confirm whether the place is active and whether proposed controls are adequate.
  • Do not assume that least concern status removes the need for approval or site controls.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and work timing

Retain occupied earthen banks, nesting tunnels and communal roosts in place wherever possible.

Schedule earthworks, vegetation clearing and bank disturbance outside the local breeding period where practicable. July to December should be treated as a higher risk period for breeding activity.

Do not clear a bank simply because no birds are visible during one inspection. Colonial birds can be absent temporarily while feeding.

  • Redesign access tracks, laydown areas, drainage and excavation limits to retain the bank and its approach flight space.
  • Avoid vibration, dust, lighting, loud noise and vehicle movements near an active place.
  • Recheck the site if rainfall, flooding, bank collapse or changed conditions alter the habitat before works begin.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance inspection and buffers

Complete a pre-clearance inspection shortly before disturbance, including a search for birds using tunnels and communal roosts.

Set a site-specific no-go buffer around an active colony, roost or nesting bank. The buffer must reflect the bank, flight paths, line of sight, noise, vibration, machinery type and the advice of the project ecologist or regulator.

There is no species-specific standard buffer available for this swallow. A larger buffer is appropriate where birds flush, alarm call or repeatedly avoid the bank.

  • Flag the exclusion area on plans and on the ground.
  • Fence or otherwise protect the active bank from machinery, personnel, vehicles, stock and spoil placement.
  • Stop and reassess if birds flush repeatedly, adults stop entering tunnels, or young are exposed at entrances.
  • Do not block tunnel entrances or use exclusion devices while eggs or dependent young may be present.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and readiness

Brief all supervisors, operators, contractors and fauna spotter catchers before work starts.

Explain that a colony or communal roost can concentrate a substantial part of the local population in one place. A single damaged bank can therefore affect many birds.

Nominate the person who can stop work and the ecologist or regulator who must be contacted.

  • Show workers photographs or field descriptions of the White-backed Swallow and its horizontal bank tunnels.
  • Mark no-go areas, access routes, emergency assembly points and the animal handling location.
  • Keep suitable containers, gloves, towels and an approved wildlife contact list available, but do not allow untrained workers to handle birds.
  • Include procedures for injured animals, active breeding places, roosts and unexpected colonies in the site environmental plan.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Use a staged approach and keep an authorised fauna spotter catcher in control of wildlife decisions. Stop work immediately if an active tunnel, colony, communal roost, injured bird or dependent young is found.

Clear in small, supervised stages from the least sensitive area towards retained habitat. Do not undermine, collapse, seal or excavate a potential nesting bank ahead of inspection.

Keep machinery outside marked exclusion areas until the spotter catcher or ecologist has released that area.

Inspect each work face, spoil pile, culvert, cut and bank as it becomes accessible.

  • Remove loose materials and vegetation gradually where this does not damage the bank or conceal entrances.
  • Pause between stages to check for returning adults, flushed birds and newly exposed tunnels.
  • Maintain escape routes towards open air and retained habitat.
  • Do not use fire, explosives, high pressure water or uncontrolled vibration near a suspected breeding place.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Stop-work and active places

The fauna spotter catcher must have clear authority to stop work without waiting for routine project approval.

If an active breeding place or colony is found, stop the affected activity, establish a temporary exclusion area and prevent people or machinery from approaching the bank.

Contact the project ecologist and the relevant regulator or permit holder. Resume only when the place has been assessed and the approved controls are in place.

  • Treat birds entering or leaving a tunnel, adults carrying material or food, repeated alarm calls, eggs, chicks or recently fledged young as evidence of active breeding.
  • Do not enter, probe, seal, fill or relocate an occupied tunnel.
  • Do not move a colony or communal roost unless specifically authorised and directed by an appropriately qualified wildlife professional.
  • Record the location, activity, photographs, people present, machinery status and time of the stop-work event.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Animal handling

Only authorised and appropriately trained people may catch or handle a White-backed Swallow.

Avoid capture where the bird can leave safely without entering the work area. Handling causes stress and may separate adults from young.

Use a quiet, shaded, ventilated container for a short period only, and keep the bird away from heat, fumes, noise and direct sun.

  • Do not feed, water or medicate the bird unless directed by a wildlife carer or veterinarian.
  • Do not attempt to remove birds from deep tunnels or collapse a tunnel to retrieve them.
  • Transfer injured or distressed birds promptly to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian.
  • Record the finder, location, time, condition, action taken and receiving carer or clinic.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Unexpected colonies and roosts

A cluster of occupied tunnels or birds repeatedly using one bank should be managed as a potential colony. Communal roosting in burrows is also possible, with up to 27 birds recorded in one burrow.

Stop nearby works and prevent access until the site has been assessed. Avoid night works or bright lighting near a communal roost unless specifically cleared by the project ecologist.

  • Do not flush birds to count them.
  • Use remote observation or binoculars to estimate use and activity.
  • Protect the bank, tunnel entrances and immediate approach area from spoil, sediment, water discharge and vibration.
  • Escalate any proposal to disturb, fill, stabilise or relocate the place to the relevant regulator before work continues.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

A release from the work area does not end the risk. Check retained banks, work faces and exclusion areas after disturbance, and document how the site controls performed.

Inspect the cleared area, retained banks and work boundary at the end of each shift and after major earthworks.

Look for collapsed entrances, exposed tunnels, trapped birds, injured animals, fresh disturbance, predator access and sediment or water entering a bank.

Use binoculars and quiet observation where birds are still using nearby habitat.

  • Confirm that all no-go markers and bank protection remain in place.
  • Check that temporary fencing, shade and access controls have not blocked flight paths or tunnel entrances.
  • Remove machinery, spoil and waste from retained breeding and roosting areas.
  • Escalate any new bird activity or damaged bank to the project ecologist.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitoring retained places

Monitor an occupied or retained colony at a frequency set by the project ecologist and approval conditions. Increase checks after heavy rain, flooding, bank collapse, blasting, major vibration or a change in water flow.

Record whether adults continue to enter tunnels, whether birds are feeding young and whether the colony remains in use.

  • Use the same observation points and methods where possible so results can be compared.
  • Avoid repeated close approaches and do not enter tunnels.
  • Continue monitoring until the breeding event has finished or the ecologist confirms that the place is no longer active.
  • Inspect for predators such as cats and foxes and refer control measures to the land manager.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Relocated or injured animals

Confirm the destination and condition of every handled bird through the authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian.

Do not release a bird into an unfamiliar location without professional direction. A released bird should have access to open air, suitable insect prey and safe shelter.

Report deaths, failed releases, repeated injuries or evidence of dependent young being separated from adults.

  • Keep wildlife records linked to the project incident number and permit or approval reference.
  • Obtain rehabilitation advice before any release.
  • Record release date, location, condition and the person responsible for the release.
  • Do not place a bird in a nest box, bat box or artificial structure as a substitute for professional rehabilitation advice.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review and reporting

Review every stop-work event, damaged tunnel, colony disturbance, injury and unauthorised approach before the next work stage.

Provide required reports to the regulator, approval holder, landholder and project environmental representative within the stated timeframe.

  • Compare the event with the induction, exclusion map and approved management measures.
  • Correct gaps in supervision, fencing, signage, timing or contractor communication.
  • Update the risk assessment and method statement before restarting similar work.
  • Retain maps, photographs, observer notes, animal records and monitoring results in the project file.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore natural breeding habitat

Rehabilitation should restore exposed banks and the open conditions used for aerial feeding, while protecting retained tunnels from erosion and future disturbance. White-backed Swallows are bank burrowers, so artificial nest boxes and bat boxes are generally not suitable substitutes for a natural earthen breeding bank.

Reinstate stable, exposed earthen or sandy bank faces where this matches the local landform and approval conditions.

Use local soil and natural bank profiles where practicable. Avoid smooth concrete faces unless a qualified ecologist confirms that they will provide a suitable alternative.

Keep the face free of dense vegetation where the species historically used exposed ground, while retaining stabilising vegetation away from tunnel entrances.

  • Regrade unsafe spoil and remove loose material that could collapse onto a retained bank.
  • Prevent concentrated runoff, sediment discharge and vehicle access at the bank base.
  • Protect restored banks from stock, recreational access and machinery.
  • Use erosion controls that do not block potential tunnel entrances or create unsafe netting hazards.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Replacement breeding structures

Consider an artificial nest bank or engineered earthen face only where natural bank habitat cannot be retained and a qualified ecologist designs the structure for this species.

A nest box, bat box or generic artificial nest structure is not a proven replacement for a White-backed Swallow tunnel in an earthen bank.

Do not construct or open a replacement bank during an active breeding event unless the regulator and project ecologist approve the approach.

  • Base the design on local bank material, drainage, face orientation, access, erosion risk and the species’ horizontal tunnel nesting behaviour.
  • Keep replacement structures away from vehicle impact, intense lighting, vibration and frequent human access.
  • Install any replacement structure before habitat removal where practicable, then monitor it for use.
  • Do not plug, cap or artificially connect occupied tunnels without specific wildlife advice.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Foraging habitat and water

Restore open grassland, low shrubland and creek-side areas that support aerial insect feeding around retained or replacement banks.

Maintain natural drainage and avoid reducing insect availability through unnecessary pesticide use.

This species is not a waterbird. Flooding and water management should be considered where they alter creek banks, erosion, access to tunnels or the availability of flying insects.

  • Prevent sediment, hydrocarbons and other pollutants from entering creeks and drainage lines.
  • Manage water releases and dewatering so that they do not scour or saturate an active bank.
  • Retain a mix of open airspace and low vegetation for feeding flights.
  • Coordinate weed control with the breeding-place plan and avoid spraying near occupied tunnels.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Weeds, lighting and predators

Control weeds that obscure bank faces, block flight paths or increase bank instability. Retain suitable native vegetation in surrounding open habitat.

Limit artificial light around banks, creek beds, quarry faces and communal roosts, especially at night.

Manage cats, foxes and other predators through an approved site or land management program.

  • Use shielded, downward-facing lights and switch them off when not required.
  • Do not illuminate tunnel entrances or communal roosts during monitoring or construction.
  • Inspect erosion matting, mesh and fencing for entanglement risks.
  • Remove waste, food and shelter that could attract predators to the breeding place.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Long-term monitoring

Monitor restored or replacement banks through at least the next suitable breeding period, with the timing and frequency set by the project ecologist and approval conditions.

Assess whether birds return, whether tunnels remain stable and whether works have changed local foraging conditions.

  • Record bird presence, tunnel use, colony size estimates, bank condition, erosion, weeds, predators and human disturbance.
  • Compare monitoring results with pre-work photographs and maps.
  • Repair erosion or access controls before the next breeding period where practicable.
  • Retain monitoring records and review the rehabilitation design if the place is not used or becomes unsafe.

Sources