Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

Flaggendrongo ( Dicrurus paradiseus )

The Flaggendrongo ( Dicrurus paradiseus ) is a Southeast Asian Songbird.

Features

Of the 63 cm body length alone accounts for 35 cm on the long, forked tail, its extended outer feathers have a long, wire-like quill pen with a broad flag at the end of the flag. The dark plumage shimmers blue-green. Another feature is the loose, bent backwards hood. The reputation of the Flaggendrongos sounds metallic, the song contains melodic whistling sounds, and imitations of other birds.

The living on Sri Lanka subspecies Dicrurus p. ceylonicus lack the elongated tail feathers.

Occurrence

The distribution area of Flaggendrongos extends from India eastwards across the Himalayas to Southern China and south to the islands of Borneo, Java and Bali. It lives mainly in rainforests and bamboo forests.

Behavior

The Flaggendrongo feeds primarily on insects. This searches the foliage or catches it in flight. He often joins with other insect groups hunting birds in order to flush out common insects from the plant growth, to be able to capture easily. The Flaggendrongo considered as aggressive and fearless and attack larger birds if they threaten their brood.

On the Nicobar Islands Flaggendrongos cooperate with hawks and Nicobar tree shrew in search of food.

Reproduction

The cup-shaped nest is built in the fork of a tall tree from plant material and bonded with cobwebs. The nest consists of three to four eggs.