Bird Guide

Ashy Drongo vs Fork-tailed Drongo

Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)

Ashy Drongo

Dicrurus leucophaeus

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The adult ashy drongo is mainly dark grey, and the tail is long and deeply forked, 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. Subspecies longicaudatus of India (which includes beavani of the Himalayas that winters on the peninsula, with one breeding population in central India that Vaurie separates as longicaudatus in the restricted sense) is very dark and almost like the black drongo although this bird is slimmer and has a somewhat longer and less-splayed tail.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Ashy Drongo
Recorded by chandu bandi · Tirupati, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Jay Pruett, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jay Pruett · cc-by
Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilis

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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. Voice: 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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Fork-tailed Drongo
Recorded by Anne Ndung'u · Call · Kilifi County, Kenya · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Diego Rubolini · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Ashy Drongo and Fork-tailed Drongo.