A birding lesson from the field: Don't pass up a drongo -- or any black bird with a forked tail
Towards the end of our Parambikulam tramway trek, as I dragged my weary feet past a tree on which was perched a dark bird with a telltale fork at the end of of its tail, Beej stopped and whispered, "What is it?"
"Drongo," I muttered dismissively, and walked on.
Towards the end of our Parambikulam tramway trek, as I dragged my weary feet past a tree on which was perched a dark bird with a telltale fork at the end of of its tail, Beej stopped and whispered, "What is it?"
"Drongo," I muttered dismissively, and walked on.
"Never rule out a bird unless you are sure," Beej growled and started looking at it through his field glasses. I raised my camera and lens, which weighed a ton in my tired arms, and fired a couple of shots desultorily. Realization sank in the same moment as Beej exclaimed, "Drongo-cuckoo!"
Nearly six months later in Dandeli, history repeated itself with a different set of characters. Arun walked past a black, fork-tailed bird on an open perch and I was quick to take note of it, thanks to the ticking off from Beej earlier. It turned out, as it were, to be a Drongo-Cuckoo.
And so, in order to ensure that no birder steps past a Drongo-Cuckoo again, here are some notes from the field:
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| Note that the black bird on the left shares a profile similar to the bird on the extreme right - each has an "unkempt" tuft of hair above its brow. Both are cuckoos. The bird in the centre, also with a forked tail, is a drongo. In this case, it's a Black Drongo - the white rictal spot is diagnostic. |
1) Head: This bird's head was of an odd shape - with a ruffled, unkempt tuft reminiscent of the Common Hawk Cuckoo or Brainfever Bird, to which it is related.
2) Bill: The beak is small and slender. All drongos have thick, strong bills that end in a slight downward curve. The Drongo-Cuckoo's bill juts out of its head like a nail out of a pin-cushion, with the sharp side outwards.
2) Bill: The beak is small and slender. All drongos have thick, strong bills that end in a slight downward curve. The Drongo-Cuckoo's bill juts out of its head like a nail out of a pin-cushion, with the sharp side outwards.
3) Tail: The tail, on closer examination, shows barred markings on the outer feathers. This might be harder to spot when you view the bird against the light or in well-lit trees. And, anyway, this is the last thing that you will notice.
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| Two forked tails, and each tells a different story. The barring on the Drongo-Cuckoo's tail sets it apart, while the Drongo has an unmarked fork, though the depth and definition of the fork can vary with the species |
And once you are identify a Drongo-Cuckoo correctly, you will never mistake it for a drongo again!
Maybe a closer look would help?
Text and photos: Sandeep Somasekharan
Also read: Encounter - Asian Drongo-Cuckoo
Text and photos: Sandeep Somasekharan
Also read: Encounter - Asian Drongo-Cuckoo