[2] The species was once considered a race of the white-breasted woodswallow,[3] which breeds from Australia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu through to Borneo and the Philippines.

[4] The Fiji woodswallow is a chunky bird 18 centimetres (7 in) long with a heavy black-tipped blue bill.

The Fiji woodswallow feeds on insects, with moths, butterflies, dragonflies, and grasshoppers being the main prey taken.

[7] Fiji woodswallows are highly aggressive and will attack these raptors, often at risk to themselves, as well as introduced mammals such as cats and dogs.

[2] They will also harass the introduced common myna and red-vented bulbul to drive away from nesting and roosting sites, but display less aggression towards other harmless native species such as the Fiji parrotfinch.

A few studies of this species suggest that it has an unusual polygynandrous breeding system,[2] in contrast to the white-breasted woodswallow, which is socially monogamous.