Bird · GBIF taxon 2493963
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilisAlso known as Common Drongo, African Drongo
Fork-tailed drongos are glossy black songbirds famed for their audacious behavior and complex vocal mimicry across Sub-Saharan Africa. They regularly steal food from meerkats and other birds by sounding false alarm calls to spook them into dropping their catch. Fearless in defense of their nests, these perching birds aggressively dive-bomb much larger predators, including eagles and hawks.
InsectivoreVocal MimicSavanna
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Termites
- Grasshoppers
- Butterflies
Predators
- Gabar Goshawk
- African Goshawk
- Pearl-spotted Owlet
ThreatsLocal habitat loss and pesticide exposure
HabitatsWoodlands, savannas, dry forests, and bushveld
Life span5–10 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyDicruridae
- GenusDicrurus
- SpeciesDicrurus adsimilis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Listen for false alarms: Listen for mimicry of other animals' danger calls used to steal food.
- Scan high perches: Look for glossy black silhouettes perched prominently on exposed dead branches.
Frequent Companion (c) Justin Ponder, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Justin Ponder · cc-by
Predator Lip Kee / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Bruno - Yolande Zanette, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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