THIS is one of the most common birds to be seen in the Upper Highway and because of that it is often not given the attention it deserves. Keen observers will however soon note that this species is fearless and very astute.
Description
The Fork-tailed Drongo has a uniform glossy black colour with only its red-eyes deviating from the overall black. It has a strong looking and slightly curved beak and its distinguishing feature is a deeply forked tail. It is approximately 25cm in length which includes the tail and has an average weight of 44g.
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Males and females are almost identical with the females having a slightly less forked tail. This species can easily be confused with the Southern Black Flycatcher which is smaller, has a brown eye, a less deeply forked tail and a smaller and straighter beak.
We are also lucky to have the very similar looking Square-tailed Drongo in our area. The slightly smaller Square-tailed Drongo prefers coastal forests so is not common in the Upper Highway.
Distribution
A very common species across the entire South Africa except for the very arid areas in the western part of the country.
Habitat
The Fork-tailed Drongo enjoys woodland areas, parks and gardens and will generally avoid densely forested areas. They are solitary birds but will often be seen in pairs during the mating season. Feeding
It is quite a selective feeder focusing mainly of insects which it loves taking in mid-air. It has been known to feed off ticks found on some of the larger mammals. They often perch near beehives and patiently wait for the right opportunity to snatch a bee in flight.
Breeding
This is a monogamous species, and the nest is usually an untidy wide cup suspended between two branches far from the main tree trunk. Two to five eggs are laid which take approximately 16 days to hatch. Both parents look after the hatchlings.
Predators and threats
The population numbers are very good, and they are not considered under any immediate threat. They are hunted by mid-sized raptors such as Sparrowhawks.
Local information
You will find the Fork-tailed Drongo in most parts of the Upper Highway, in all our public parks as well as in most gardens.
Interesting facts
As mentioned in the introduction this is a very astute bird. It has a terrible call which is a mixture of rasping creaks and harsh notes.
But it is also able to mimic not only other birds but even some mammals. It often watches other birds or small mammals catch their prey and then puts its vocal skills to good use by mimicking the alarm call of the other species which then promptly drops its food and scampers for cover leaving the drongo to collect an easy meal.
Another characteristic of the Fork-tailed Drongo is its fearlessness. In our area you may often notice raptors such as Crowned Eagles or African Harrier Hawks being harassed and ‘mobbed’ by smaller black birds – these are almost always likely to be Fork-tailed Drongos.
Support To support the ongoing work of the Kloof Conservancy, visit its website at https://www.kloofconservancy.org.za.
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