Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
Black Drongo

Black Drongo

Dicrurus macrocercus

The Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) is a small, sleek, and glossy black bird, a member of the drongo family Dicruridae. It is easily recognized by its distinctive forked tail and measures about 28 cm in length. A white spot at the base of the gape is often seen in adults, while juveniles may exhibit a brownish hue with some white barring towards the belly.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Black Drongo, look for its all-black plumage with a metallic sheen, dark brown iris, and a prominent forked tail. The bird exhibits strong and agile flight, often seen perched upright on exposed branches, wires, or even on grazing animals. Juveniles lack the forked tail and have white-tipped feathers on the belly and vent.

Habitat

This species thrives in open agricultural areas and light forests, where it can be seen perching conspicuously on bare perches or utility lines.

Distribution

The Black Drongo is a common resident breeder across tropical southern Asia, from southwest Iran through Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, extending east to southern China and Indonesia. It is also an accidental visitor to Japan.

Behaviour

The Black Drongo is known for its aggressive behavior towards larger birds, such as crows and birds of prey, earning it the nickname "king crow." It is also observed that smaller birds often nest near the Black Drongo for protection.

Song & Calls

The species is capable of producing a variety of calls, with a common one being a two-note "tee-hee" similar to that of the shikra (Accipiter badius).

Breeding

Breeding occurs mainly in February and March in southern India, with nests being a thin layer of sticks placed in tree forks. Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after about 14 to 15 days.

Similar Species

The Black Drongo can be confused with the Ashy Drongo, but the latter has a crimson iris and different vocalizations.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of insects such as grasshoppers, cicadas, and beetles. Black Drongos are often seen following ploughs in fields to catch disturbed insects or taking advantage of insects fleeing from fires in scrublands.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Drongo as Least Concern due to its large range and stable population. However, introduced populations in the Pacific have caused ecological concerns by threatening native bird species.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Black Drongos on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Drongos

A photo of a Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilis
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Nicole
Gets me outdoors more
I'm still loving this app. I use it most days & gets me outdoors more. Enjoying watching others progress and photo's, it's improved my wellbeing.... I love this app! I can keep a record of sightings and see what others have seen too.
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.