View allAll Photos Tagged drongo
Wikipedia: The bronzed drongo (Dicrurus aeneus) is a small Indomalayan bird belonging to the drongo group. They are resident in the forests of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They capture insects flying in the shade of the forest canopy by making aerial sallies from their perches. They are very similar to the other drongos of the region but are somewhat smaller and compact with differences in the fork depth and the patterns of gloss on their feathers.
The bronzed drongo is found in the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of India and the lower Himalayas from western Uttaranchal eastwards into Indochina and Hainan, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and northern Borneo.
Conservation status: Least Concern
The Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) are known to perch on trees, power lines, or other elevated spots, scanning for insects and other small prey.
Shot this in Vengadamangalam Lake
The Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) are known to perch on trees, power lines, or other elevated spots, scanning for insects and other small prey.
Shot this in Vengadamangalam Lake
Another backyard beauty, the Ashy Drongo. The one drongo not as often seen as the Bronzed or Greater Racket-tailed. There are a number of subspecies varying in the shade of the grey plumage. Some subspecies have white markings on the head. Young birds are dull brownish grey.
A Crow-billed Drongo in Bidadari.
Read about the destruction of Bidadari in my blog: Final Farewell to Bidadari
*Note: More pics of Birds in my Wild Avian Friends Album.
These are all black birds with distinctive forked tails that feed on insects, and are common in open agricultural areas and light forest throughout their range, perching conspicuously on a bare perches or along power or telephone lines. Feisty fellows as they are known for their aggressive behaviour towards much larger birds, such as crows, never hesitating to dive-bomb any bird of prey that invades their territory. They are known to imitate the call of others birds.
Dicrurus leucophaeus
Tamil : Erattaivaalan kuruvi
Malayalam : Kakkathampuran ( കാക്കത്തമ്പുരാന്)
Kannada : Bud kakalicitte ( ಬೂದ್ ಕಾಕಳಿಚಿಟ್ಟೆ )
Bengali : Neel finga
Kashmiri : Gunkots / Telakots
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© 2013 Anuj Nair. All rights reserved.
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© 2013 Anuj Nair. All rights reserved.
All images are the property of Anuj Nair. Using these images without permission is in violation of international copyright laws (633/41 DPR19/78-Disg 154/97-L.248/2000)
All materials may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished,downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording without written permission of Anuj Nair. Every violation will be pursued penally.
Fork-tailed Drongos sheltering under the eaves of a building during heavy monsoon rain.
Kottayam, Kerala, India
Kruger National Park
10h20
A red-eyed all-black upright bird with a narrow tail that splays out into a fork. Pairs and singles occasionally join mixed-species flocks in a variety of wooded and open country, although they avoid forest. The species sits in the canopy and midstory, hawking insects from a perch, and it sometimes associates with large mammals, eating prey that they flush. It is loud and noisy, singing a variety of unmelodic, noisy, and mechanical notes, sometimes including imitations of other bird species.
Fork-tailed Drongo perched atop some foliage outside my chalet in Blyde Wildlife Estate, South Africa.
As an occasional visitor to my yard, the regular birds seem to see the Spangled Drongo as a competitor for their food and will chase it away. This smart bird has learned to wait until late in the afternoon to visit my yard. At that time, most birds have gone home to roost, and it can feed in peace.
A Crow-billed Drongo rubbing its face on a branch in Bidadari.
Read about the destruction of Bidadari in my blog: Final Farewell to Bidadari
*Note: More pics of Birds in my Wild Avian Friends Album.
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
This fantastic little bird is a common resident in and around the Kruger National Park. Its drab black color does not attract much interest from passers-by but when you look beyond the color there is a world of intelligence and specialization. The drongo will often be found following the large herbivores as they move along grazing and browsing. These smart birds have figured out that the larger animals will flush insects from their hiding places in the grass allowing the drongos to swoop in and catch their prey.
The drongo has the ability to mimic calls of animals and it uses this skill to distract its hosts. For example, the dwarf mongoose has a number of different alarm calls for different predators. The drongo has learnt to imitate these calls. It will sit in trees above the foraging mongoose watching closely and waiting for one of them to catch something. At this point the drongo screeches the mimicked mongoose alarm call, sending the whole colony scattering for cover - leaving behind the food that they have just caught. The drongo then swoops in, picks up the abandoned food and heads back into the trees to enjoy the mongooses' hard earned meal.
Sabi Sabi website
A black drongo (dicrurus macrocercus) photographed high in a tree on the island of Hat Yao Noi, Phang Nga, in Thailand.
(Dicrurus hottentottus)
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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.
So, you may find:
- All the photos for this trip Índia (2023) (213)
- All the photos for this order PASSERIFORMES (3553)
- All the photos for this family Dicruridae (Dicrurídeos) (12)
- All the photos for this species Dicrurus hottentottus (1)
- All the photos taken this day 2023/03/11 (28)
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The drongos, subfamily Dicrurinae, are a subfamily of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics. They feed on insects which they catch in flight or on the ground. Some species are accomplished mimics and have a variety of alarm calls, to which other birds and animals often respond.
A Bronzed Drongo on a Moringa Oleifera tree growing in the backyard. It is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent. The bird is a resident in the forests of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It captures insects flying in the shade of the forest canopy by making aerial sallies from its prominent perch. Very similar to the other Drongos of the region but somewhat smaller and more compact with differences in the fork depth and the patterns of gloss on the feathers.
Wikipedia: The bronzed drongo (Dicrurus aeneus) is a small Indomalayan bird belonging to the drongo group. They are resident in the forests of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They capture insects flying in the shade of the forest canopy by making aerial sallies from their perches. They are very similar to the other drongos of the region but are somewhat smaller and compact with differences in the fork depth and the patterns of gloss on their feathers.
The bronzed drongo is found in the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of India and the lower Himalayas from western Uttaranchal eastwards into Indochina and Hainan, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and northern Borneo. This species is usually found in moist broadleaved forest. This species is exclusively found in forested areas.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Fork-tailed Drongo on Mopane tree branch
Damaraland, Namibia
The Fork-tailed Drongo is 23 - 26 cm in length, mostly insectivorous, found from the Sahel to South Africa that lives in woodlands and savanna.
From afar, appears entirely black, but up close, its feathers show a glossy metallic sheen of blue or blue-green that shines in the sun.
The Fork-tailed Drongo is known for its ability to mimic other bird alarm calls.
They are also known for their aggressive and fearless behavior, often attacking and driving away much larger animals, including birds of prey, when their nest is in danger.
A seasonal visitor to my yard and food table. This Spangled Drongo has the most beautiful colouring and is an accompilished mimic of other birds' calls. A shy and reclusive bird, it is ofter seen off by my regular visiting birds. When possible I give this bird special treatment by tossing food into the air for it to catch. It will take food from the food dish when there are no other birds around, but is always watching out for trouble, as in this shot.
A very common backyard visitor. Found singly or in groups of two to three, these birds actively forage for insects under the forest canopy by making aerial sallies and often returning to their favourite perches where they can be easily clicked. Like other Drongo species these birds are very good in mimicking calls of many other bird species. This Drongo is somewhat smaller than the Black Drongo and has more metallic gloss with a spangled appearance on the head, neck and breast as seen in this shot.
Fork-tailed Drongo
Khorixas, Damaraland - Namibia
The Fork-tailed Drongo is 23-26 cm in length, mostly insectivorous, found from the Sahel to South Africa that lives in woodlands and savanna.
From afar, appears entirely black, but up close, its feathers show a glossy metallic sheen of blue or blue-green that shines in the sun.
The Fork-tailed Drongo is known for its ability to mimic other bird alarm calls.
They are also known for their aggressive and fearless behavior, often attacking and driving away much larger animals, including birds of prey, when their nest is in danger.
Widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia with several populations that vary in the shade of grey and patterns and in the size or presence of white patches around the eye. Similar to the Black Drongo although this bird is slimmer and has a somewhat longer and less-splayed tail. Has short legs and sits very upright while perched prominently. It is insectivorous and forages by making spectacular aerial sallies.
This bird is glossy black with a wide fork to the tail. Adults usually have a small white spot (rictal spot) at the base of the gape as seen in this shot. They feed on insects, and are common in open agricultural areas and light forest throughout their range, perching conspicuously on a bare perches or along power or telephone lines.
I usually first hear them before I see them as they can be noisy. Quite often I see them making aerial sallies from their perches looking for insects that they catch flying in the shade of the canopy. The Bronzed Drongo is somewhat smaller than the Black Drongo and has more metallic gloss with a spangled appearance on the head, neck and breast. The lores are velvety and the ear coverts are duller as can be seen in this shot. The Bronzed Drongo is found in the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of India and the lower Himalayas. This species is usually found in moist broadleaved forest.