Animal profile

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilis

AvesOpen woodland, savanna and scrubLeast Concern

Field profile

The fork-tailed drongo is a glossy black insectivore with red eyes and a deeply forked tail. It hunts from exposed perches, sallying out after flying insects. It is aggressive towards much larger birds and is a capable mimic of other species' calls.

Published field notes

2023-09-07

Fork-tailed Drongo

Drongos give false alarms to steal other animals' food

Fork-tailed drongos in the Kalahari follow meerkats and babblers, giving genuine warnings of predators. They also give false alarms when a forager finds a large item, and take the food that is dropped as the victim flees.

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