Ashy Drongo
Graudrongo ( Dicrurus leucophaeus )
The Graudrongo ( Dicrurus leucophaeus ) is a species of bird in the family of the drongos ( Dicruridae ). It breeds in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan to southern China and Indonesia. Some prefer the Himalayas over winter to southern India and Sri Lanka.
Features
The Graudrongo reaches a body length of 29 cm. He is completely ashen. Wings and tail are colored darker, the base of the beak and the reins are black, the ear-coverts smoky. In some specimens the reins are too pale and they have white markings on the face. The underside is pale ashen and towards the belly a little brighter. The tail is forked long and deep.
The sharp beak is black, eyes reddish brown to black, and the feet gray.
The plumage coloration of the subspecies mouhoti is dark steel gray with lighter underside. The subspecies nigrescens is blacker. Adult birds of leucogenis are light gray with a black forehead and a whitish face, salangensis are darker than leucogenis with gray ear-coverts.
Habitat and behavior
Graudrongos occur along forest edges and in open forests, but also in parks. They are found at altitudes up to 2,750 m. They sit in the woods a few feet above the ground or open on telephone cables in an open area and hunt insects. Graudrongos are fearless and aggressive birds attack the larger birds when approaching their nests. Other small birds build their nests to protect them often near Drongos.
Endangering
The stock is classified by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ). The distribution area is extremely large. The population trend is not known but it can not be assumed that the population decreases to an extent that makes the sort appear to be endangered.
Subspecies
According Zoonomen fifteen subspecies are recognized. These are to:
- Dicrurus leucophaeus bondi Meyer de Schauensee, 1937 - Western and Eastern Thailand, Cambodia, southern Laos and South Vietnam.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus celaenus Oberholser, 1912
- Dicrurus leucophaeus hopwoodi Baker, ECS, 1918 - Breeds in eastern Himalayas, in the southwest and southern China, northern and central Myanmar, East and North Vietnam. Moves to South to West Bengal, Südassam, Bangladesh, southern China and Südmyanmar, North and eastern Thailand and southern Laos after.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus InNexus ( Swinhoe, 1870) - Hainan.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus leucogenis ( Walden, 1870) - Eastern and Central China, moved to southern China, northern Laos, eastern Thailand, Cambodia, Tanintharyi Division and Malay Peninsula.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus leucophaeus Vieillot, 1817 - Simeulue, Java, Bali, Lombok and South West Philippines.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus longicaudatus Jerdon, 1862 - Breeds in southern Himalayas, not scorching in the lowlands and to India with the exception of Punjab, Sind and the arid parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat and south to Sri Lanka.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus mouhoti ( Walden, 1870) - Breeds in the southwest and western Myanmar, Laos and Annam, moves to Südmyanmar, Southern Thailand and Cambodia.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus nigrescens Oates, 1889 - Südmyanmar and Malay Peninsula, scattered south to Singapore.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus periophthalmicus ( Salvadori, 1894) - Sipura and Pagai.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus phaedrus ( Reichenow, 1904) - Central and South Sumatra.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus salangensis Reichenow, 1890 - Southeast China, moves to the south to Hainan, southern Indochina, Eastern, Central and Southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.
- Dicrurus leucophaeus stigmatops ( Sharpe, 1879) - North Borneo.
However, in The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, the subspecies D. l celaenus is not recognized.