Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
The Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) is a common drongo found in 42 countries, weighing about 40 g. The fork-tailed drongo, 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.
About the Fork-tailed Drongo
The fork-tailed drongo, 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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Fork-tailed Drongo sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Mauritania, India.
When to see it
The Fork-tailed Drongo can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Watch the Fork-tailed Drongo on live cams
Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Fork-tailed Drongo?
- The bird possesses a robust black beak and red eyes. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Fork-tailed Drongo?
- The Fork-tailed Drongo is a small sized bird weighing about 40 g.
- Where can you see a Fork-tailed Drongo?
- The Fork-tailed Drongo occurs in 42 countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania.
- What does a Fork-tailed Drongo sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Fork-tailed Drongo on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Fork-tailed Drongo?
- The Fork-tailed Drongo is most easily confused with the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, the Ashy Drongo and the Bronzed Drongo.
- Is the Fork-tailed Drongo endangered?
- The Fork-tailed Drongo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Fork-tailed Drongo for real
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