Dicrurus bracteatus
Spangled drongo
©Alex Vail: Spangled Drongo with grasshopper prey at Lizard Island
©Alex Vail: Spangled Drongo with grasshopper prey at Lizard Island
©Alex Vail: Spangled Drongo at Lizard Island.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Dicruridae
Genus
Dicrurus
Species
Dicrurus bracteatus
Status
least concern
Colours
Distinguishing features
The Spangled Drongo has glossy black plumage with metallic sheen. It has a distinctive long forked tail and red eyes.
Size
- Up to 30 cm (Length of specimen)
Wingspan
- Wingspan data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Behaviour
The Spangled Drongo is an acrobatic flyer, enabling it to catch insects while on the wing.
Its basically black plumage is iridescent with blue and purple highlights. When it - seasonally - visits urban areas it is easily tamed by throwing small pieces of raw meat into the air, when it will accurately swoop and catch them mid-air.
The Spangled Drongo is a mimic, taking sounds that it hears and melding them into their own song.
Web resources
References
- Simpson, K., N. Day and P. Trusler (1996). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia: Fifth Edition Penguin Books, Australia.
- Smith, G.C. (1987). The birds of Eagle Island, a tropical sand cay on the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, The Sunbird, 17(1): 1-11. LIRS catalog number 245.