Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
A red-eyed all-black upright bird with a narrow tail that splays out into a deep fork. Pairs and singles are found in a variety of wooded and open country, avoiding forest interior. They are often found in the vicinity of wild and domestic large mammals, hawking insects that they flush up. Occasionally joins mixed-species flocks. Loud and vocal bird that gives a variety of unmelodic, noisy, and mechanical notes, sometimes including imitations of other bird species. Similar to Sharpe’s and Square-tailed Drongos, but note larger size and much more deeply forked tail of Fork-tailed Drongo. Also similar to Velvet-mantled Drongo, but found in open habitats rather than forest, and has a glossy-black back that doesn’t contrast strongly with the glossy wing, and a less deeply forked tail.
识别特征
The bird possesses a robust black beak and red eyes. When born, they lack feathers, exhibiting reddish skin, an orange beak, yellow gape flange, brown eyes, and a black beak. Juvenile fork-tailed drongos are dark brown tone with some buff-colored feather tips, a less pronounced tail fork, brown or grey eyes, and a pale mouth. While resembling adults, they lack the glossy shine on the lower body and display pale feathers on certain areas. Both genders share a black body with a blue-green iridescence in specific regions. The underside, including the belly, is uniformly black, contrasting with the glossy black-blue upper body. Their lengthy tail is deeply forked and black, measuring approximately 115–126 mm in length and 19–23 mm in depth. They feature short legs and a wingspan of 134 mm. Their bill is characterized by a depth of 0.4 mm and a length of 2.8 mm.<p>Following breeding, adult birds experience a complete molt, usually taking place between December and March in Southern Africa, with varying months in other areas. Young birds maintain their immature plumage until the next breeding season. The partial post-juvenile molt initiates prior to the growth of new wing and tail feathers following the nesting period. Instances of leucism have been observed in the fork-tailed drongo.<p>This bird is notably vocal, often commencing the dawn chorus and often is the last heard at dusk. Their pre-dawn calls comprise variations such as jwaaa-jwaaa and jeewy-jeeerr. They exhibit a diverse repertoire of vocalizations, ranging from sharp calls, brief whistles, and squeaks to fluid, raspy, and scratchy notes delivered rapidly or with extended pauses. Their repertoire includes calls like chyup, tjaaa, the resounding jer-woo, and the whistled jee-lu. Mated pairs participate in coordinated duets lasting 4–5 minutes. Their songs feature soft, high-pitched, nasal, or melodious whistles, chirps, grinding sounds, and liquid chattering.<p>These birds produce specific drongo calls and mimic other bird species such as bocage's bushshrike, thrushes, tchagras, bulbuls, birds of prey and owls. They have also been observed imitating the mewings of cats and the alarm calls of meerkats.
分类信息
The fork-tailed drongo was described by Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1794. Its populations are genetically distinct, and four races are usually accepted, though as of 2023, D. a. divaricatus and D. a. lugubris are included within the taxon by the IOC. The races D. a. modestus, together with D. a. coracinus and D. a. atactus are usually split as a separate species, the velvet-mantled drongo, D. modestus (Hartlaub, 1849).
- 学名
- Dicrurus adsimilis
- 命名信息
- (Bechstein, 1794)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Dicruridae
- 属
- Dicrurus
分布与栖息地
The fork-tailed drongo is a common and widespread resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara. This insect-eating bird is usually found in open woodland, savanna and forest edge and is tolerant of arid climates. Its range was formerly considered to include Asia, but the Asian species is now called the black drongo (D. macrocercus). The bird can be found at heights as high as 2200 meters.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Migration pattern: Resident species.
保护状况
Population trend: stable.
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
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Premnornis guttuliger
Small and rather confusing brownish bird of cloud forest understory. Fairly warm brown, especially on wings and tail, with extensive buffy spotting on underparts and vague buffy eyebrow. Similar to foliage-gleaners but much smaller, closer to a spinetail in size. Spotted Barbtail is darker brown, lacking bright rufous tones on wings and tail. Usually seen singly or in pairs, often with a mixed-species flock. Sticks to the understory, where it often pokes around clusters of dead leaves or vine tangles. Found from 1,600–2,300m in the Andes from Venezuela to Peru.
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Yellow-footed Gull
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Large, dark-backed, and stout-billed gull. Adult has dark slaty gray back like Western Gull, but note the rich yellow legs. Immature plumages look much like Western Gull and other large gulls; overall brown in first year with pinkish legs, developing gray back and yellow legs in second year. Restricted range around the Gulf of California in Mexico; some disperse north to the Salton Sea in California. Favors beaches, rocky and muddy intertidal habitats, and fishing harbors.
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