Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo vs White-bellied Drongo

Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus remifer

Small43 gForest

The drongo is about 25–27.5 cm long, excluding outermost tail feathers (c. 30–40 cm to end of tail); average weight of males is between 39–49 grams while females are between 35.5–44 grams. Its feathers are black with a bluish metallic gloss. The ends of its tail have long shafts more than 50 centimetres (20 in). It can be confused with the greater racket-tailed drongo, but the former doesn't have a crest on its head and its tail is square cut.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ben Costamagna · CC BY 4.0

White-bellied Drongo

Dicrurus caerulescens

Small40 gForest

This drongo is black without any glossy feathers on the upperside and greyish on the throat and breast, while the belly and vent are entirely white in the Indian form which is the nominate subspecies. The fork of the tail is less deep than in the black drongo which is often seen in the same habitats. Young black drongos can have a lot of white on the underside but it is usually scaly in appearance. The Sri Lankan forms insularis of the northern dry zone and leucopygialis of the southern wet zone have the white restricted to the vent.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Hafiz Issadeen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo and White-bellied Drongo.