Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo
Surniculus lugubris
The Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) is a uncommon cuckoo found in 18 countries, weighing about 30 g. The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo that resembles a black drongo.
About the Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo
The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo that resembles a black drongo. It is found along the Himalayas extending east into Southeast Asia. The calls are series of piercing sharp whistles rising in pitch but shrill and choppily delivered. In the past, the species S. lugubris also included the subspecies dicruroides, which is now treated as a separate species, the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo can be easily distinguished by its downcurved beak and the white barred vent and outer undertail, and the tail only notched with slightly flared tips. In flight, a white wing-stripe is visible from below. It is a brood parasite on small babblers. It is not known how or whether the drongo-like appearance benefits this species but it is suspected that it aids in brood-parasitism just as hawk-cuckoos appear like hawks.
What the Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Taiwan.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, November, December, with peak activity in April. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo?
- The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo can be easily distinguished by its downcurved beak and the white barred vent and outer undertail, and the tail only notched with slightly flared tips. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo?
- The Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is a small sized bird weighing about 30 g.
- Where can you see a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo?
- The Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo occurs in 18 countries, including India, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
- What does a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo?
- The Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is most easily confused with the Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo and the Moluccan Drongo-Cuckoo.
- Is the Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo endangered?
- The Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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