Fork-tailed Drongos
Drongo Information & Species ... Drongo Photo Gallery
 |
 |
The Fork-tailed Drongo, Dicrurus adsimilis, is a drongo, a type of small passerine bird of the Old World tropics.
They were previously classed as the family Dicruridae, but that has been much enlarged to include a number of largely Australasian groups, such as the Australasian fantails, monarchs and paradise flycatchers.
Distribution / Range
The Fork-tailed Drongo is a common and widespread resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara. These insect-eating birds are usually found in open forests or bush.
Two to four eggs are laid in a cup nest in a fork high in a tree.
These are aggressive and fearless birds, given their small size, and will attack much larger species, including birds of prey if their nest or young are threatened.
Description
The male is mainly glossy black, although the wings are duller. It is large-headed and has the forked tail which gives the species its name.
The female is similar but less glossy. The bill is black and heavy, and the eye is red.
The Fork-tailed Drongo is 25 cm long. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike.
It flycatches or take prey from the ground and is attracted to bush fires.
Vocalizations
The call is a metallic strink-strink.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
