Fork-Tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) lives in open savanna across Afrotropics. It feeds on insects and fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Fork-Tailed Drongo
- Its tail stretches 115-126 mm long and 19-23 mm deep, a fork so deep it looks like a miniature aircraft wing. Paired with a 134 mm wingspan and a razor-thin bill only 0.4 mm deep and 2.8 mm long, the drongo can snatch insects mid-air and tear them apart.
- About 29% of a drongo's day is spent tail-following, then it fires a fake alarm to steal the prey, roughly 25% of its food comes from this trick. An extra 10% is grabbed from insects flushed by the very animals it dupes. By turning deception into a quarter of its diet, the drongo turns social intelligence into calories, showing how clever sound tricks can outweigh raw hunting power.
- Spanning from the Sahel to South Africa and soaring up to 2 200 m, the drongo's massive range and steady numbers earn it a Least-Concern rating on the IUCN Red List. Its ability to thrive in open woodlands, savannas means it's unlikely to face imminent danger.
- Breeding can start as early as March in the north and stretch to January in the south. Eggs are laid every 24-48 hours, then incubated for 15-18 days only after the clutch is complete. Nests hang 2.2-17 m above ground.
- When a drongo issues a false alarm call, about a quarter of its meals comes from the startled victims, and another 10% from insects flushed by the same disturbance. This clever bluff lets it snatch larger prey than it could catch alone, highlighting a rare bird-level deception game.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeAfrotropics
HabitatOpen savanna
DietInsects and fruit
About the Fork-Tailed Drongo
In the scorching savannas and woodlands of Africa, the Fork-Tailed Drongo reigns as a master of aerial acrobatics, its sleek, iridescent form slicing through the air with effortless precision. With a flick of its forked tail, this agile bird banks and swoops, chasing down unsuspecting insects with lightning-fast reflexes, its sharp eyes scanning the landscape for the next unsuspecting meal. As it flits between thorny acacia trees, its glossy plumage flashing in the sunlight, the Fork-Tailed Drongo embodies the very essence of freedom and adaptability.
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