The Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis is a ‘spirited’ bird and accomplished mimic, which shows little apparent fear, often being the first bird to raise the alarm in the face of perceived danger.

This bird readily attacks intruders near the nest site and regularly mobs and harasses large birds of prey, even alighting on their backs in flight. This behaviour has led the Shangaan to believe that this drongo is the true king of all birds. One oft-related tale tells of the drongo that earned this title by having the presence of mind to ride on the back of a Bateleur Eagle in order to remain airborne for the longest period during a competition with a cisticola to determine who would be the avian king.

Drongo’s hawk insects from suitable perches and are often attracted to bush fires, or follow animal herds which disturb insects from the undergrowth. The latter behaviour has lead to the belief that this bird is an overseer and herder of livestock.

Due to this close association with animals it is said to be the first bird to rise in the morning in order to oversee its subjects and warn them of impending danger. This behaviour, black plumage and red eyes have attracted the attention of local tribespeople, and indeed it is believed that this species is highly intelligent, forceful and dominant. It is thus closely associated with the spirit mediums.

Local names for the Fork-tailed Drongo in Zimbabwe:

Nhengure, Nengu, Tengu – Shona (all dialects)
uMantengwane – Ndebele/Shangaan/Nambya
Theku – Venda/Sotho
Tengwe – baTonga

Information for this section was obtained only from contributors.

For more information on this species visit:

https://ebird.org/species/fotdro5?siteLanguage=en_AU

http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/fork-tailed-drongo-dicrurus-adsimilis