Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)

About Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)

Kingdom: Animals
Phylum: Chordates
Class: Birds
Order: Perching Birds
Family: Drongos

The greater racket-tailed drongo is a medium-sized Asian bird which is distinctive in having elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. They are placed along with other drongos in the family Dicruridae. They are conspicuous in the forest habitats often perching in the open and by attracting attention with a wide range of loud calls that include perfect imitations of many other birds. One hypothesis suggested is that these vocal imitations may help in the formation of mixed-species foraging flocks, a feature seen in forest bird communities where many insect feeders forage together. These drongos will sometimes steal insect prey caught or disturbed by other foragers in the flock and another idea is that vocal mimicry helps them in diverting the attention of smaller birds to aid their piracy. They are diurnal but are active well before dawn and late at dusk. Owing to their widespread distribution and distinctive regional variation, they have become iconic examples of speciation by isolation and genetic drift.

Lifelists

Trips

Visits

2006-01-13

Bandhavgarh National Pak, India
2013-01-16

Phong Nha Ke Bang, Vietnam
2013-01-19

My Son, Vietnam
2013-01-24

Nam Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

Originally ID as Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo
2013-02-10

Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
2013-02-16

Namieri National Park, India

Not 100% sure of id. Square-tailed drongo with a very short "racket" on one side.
2013-02-19

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, India
2013-02-23

Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, India
2016-02-22

Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore
2023-03-21

Deramakot Forest Reserve, Malaysia
2023-03-22

Deramakot Forest Reserve, Malaysia
2023-04-01

Bukit Fraser, Malaysia
2023-04-24

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore
2024-08-11

Bali Botanical Garden, Indonesia
2025-08-12

Jeriau Waterfall, Malaysia
2025-08-29

Penang Hill, Malaysia
2025-08-30

Penang National Park, Malaysia
2025-09-01

Royal Belum State Park, Malaysia
2025-09-02

Bukit Larut, Malaysia