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The fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), also called the common drongo or African drongo, is a small bird found from the Sahel to South Africa that lives in wooded habitats, particularly woodlands and savannas. They are part of the family Dicruridae and have four recognized subspecies, D. a adsimilis, D. a. apivorus, D. a. fugax and D. a. jubaensis. Like other drongos, the fork-tailed is mostly insectivorous; its diet mainly consists of butterflies, termites, and grasshoppers.
Physically, this species is characterized with a narrow fork-shaped tail, red-brownish eyes, and black plumage throughout all of its body.
The fork-tailed drongo is known for its ability to deceptively mimic other bird alarm calls in order for a certain animal to flee the scene so it can steal their food (kleptoparasitism). They are also notorious for displaying an aggressive and fearless behaviour by attacking and chasing off much larger animals, including birds of prey, when their nest or young are threatened. Due to its extensive range and stable population, the fork-tailed drongo is classified by the IUCN Red List as a least-concern species.
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The fork-tailed drongo is a common and widespread resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara. These insect-eating birds are usually found in open woodland, savanna and forest edge and are tolerant of arid climates. Its range was formerly considered to include Asia, but the Asian species is now called the black drongo (D. macrocercus). The bird can be found at heights as high as 2200 meters.
The bird has a robust black beak and red eyes. Young birds are born without feathers, with reddish skin, an orange mouth, yellow gape flanges, brown eyes and a black beak. Adolescent birds are dark brown with a few buff-colored feather tips, less defined tail fork, brown or grey eyes, and a pale-colored mouth. They look similar to adults but lack shine on the lower body and have pale feathers on certain parts. Both males and females have black bodies with a blue-green sheen on certain areas. The belly and lower body are entirely black in contrast to the glossy black-blue upper body. The long tail is deeply forked and black. The tail measures around 115–126 mm in length and 19–23 mm in depth. They have short legs and a wingspan of 134 mm. These birds have a bill depth of 0,4 mm and a bill length of 2.8 mm.
After breeding, adult birds undergo a full molt, typically occurring from December to March in Southern Africa and varying months in other regions. Young birds retain their immature plumage until the next breeding season. The post-juvenile molt is a partial process that begins before the growth of new wing and tail feathers after the nesting period. Leucism has been spotted in the fork-tailed drongo.
