Crow-billed Drongo
Dicrurus annectens
Large dark drongo of open forested environments. Glossy black with a characteristically forked tail. Immature speckled with grayish-white on lower breast and belly. Thick dark bill gives a generally heavier-headed appearance than other similar dark drongos such as Black Drongo, with which it shares parts of its range; also prefers more forested environments than the latter. Aggressive and territorial, particularly during the breeding season, frequently mobbing raptors and corvids with great vigor. Like other drongos, boasts a varied repertoire; songs include a ringing “tsee-goo-gohgee!” Calls include bell-like gurgling notes, harsh chattering, and piercing whistles.
Identification
This bird, which is similar to the black drongo, is jet-black in color and has a stout bill. It has a forked tail.
Taxonomy
The crow-billed drongo was originally described by the English naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1836 and given the binomial name Bhuchanga annectans. The specific epithet is a misspelling of the Latin word annectens meaning "connecting". This error has been corrected following the rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature to give the current scientific name Dicrurus annectens. The present genus Dicrurus had been introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816.
- Scientific name
- Dicrurus annectens
- Authority
- (Hodgson, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Dicruridae
- Genus
- Dicrurus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- OR : Himalayas from nw India to s China and Vietnam
- Non-breeding range
- to Malay Pen., Sumatra, w Java and w Borneo
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
This species inhabits dense evergreen forests and moist-deciduous forests. The nesting season is from April to June. The nest is usually a small cup made of grass that is held together by cobwebs. The nests can be found in the fork of a slender branch. The female incubates the eggs. However, both the male and female birds build the nest.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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