Fork-tailed drongo

The fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), also called the common drongo or African drongo, is a small bird found from the Sahel to South Africa that lives in wooded habitats, particularly woodlands and savannas. It is part of the family Dicruridae and has four recognized subspecies, D. a adsimilis, D. a. apivorus, D. a. fugax and D. a. jubaensis. Like other drongos, the fork-tailed is mostly insectivorous; its diet mainly consists of butterflies, termites, and grasshoppers.

Physically, this species is characterized with a narrow fork-shaped tail, red-brownish eyes, and black plumage throughout all of its body. These birds nest close to wetlands, forests, and farms and the breeding season varies depending the region. The female usually lays one to four eggs, which hatch in 15 to 18 days.

The fork-tailed drongo is known for its ability to deceptively mimic other bird alarm calls in order for a certain animal to flee the scene so it can steal their food (kleptoparasitism). 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. Due to its extensive range and stable population, the fork-tailed drongo is classified by the IUCN Red List as a least-concern species.

The bird possesses a robust black beak and red eyes. When born, they lack feathers, exhibiting reddish skin, an orange beak, yellow gape flange, brown eyes, and a black beak. Juvenile fork-tailed drongos are dark brown tone with some buff-colored feather tips, a less pronounced tail fork, brown or grey eyes, and a pale mouth. While resembling adults, they lack the glossy shine on the lower body and display pale feathers on certain areas. Both sexes share a black body with a blue-green iridescence in specific regions. The underside, including the belly, is uniformly black, contrasting with the glossy black-blue upper body. Their lengthy tail is deeply forked and black, measuring approximately 115–126 mm in length and 19–23 mm in depth. They feature short legs and a wingspan of 134 mm. Their bill is characterized by a depth of 0.4 mm and a length of 2.8 mm.

Following breeding, adult birds experience a complete molt, usually taking place between December and March in Southern Africa, with varying months in other areas. Young birds maintain their immature plumage until the next breeding season. The partial post-juvenile molt initiates prior to the growth of new wing and tail feathers following the nesting period. Instances of leucism have been observed in the fork-tailed drongo.

This bird is notably vocal, often commencing the dawn chorus and often is the last heard at dusk. Their pre-dawn calls comprise variations such as jwaaa-jwaaa and jeewy-jeeerr. They exhibit a diverse repertoire of vocalizations, ranging from sharp calls, brief whistles, and squeaks to fluid, raspy, and scratchy notes delivered rapidly or with extended pauses. Their repertoire includes calls like chyup, tjaaa, the resounding jer-woo, and the whistled jee-lu. Mated pairs participate in coordinated duets lasting 4–5 minutes. Their songs feature soft, high-pitched, nasal, or melodious whistles, chirps, grinding sounds, and liquid chattering.

These birds produce specific drongo calls and mimic other bird species such as bocage's bushshrike, thrushes, tchagras, bulbuls, birds of prey and owls. They have also been observed imitating the mewings of cats and the alarm calls of meerkats.