Bronzed Drongo

Photo by the late Laurence Poh
Fraser's Hill, Malaysia

Dicrurus aeneus

Identification

Size: 23 -24 cm
Small size with black plumage, heavily glossed with blue especially on the breast. Heavily spangled on head, neck and breast.
Sexes similar, females are slightly smaller. Juveniles are initially sooty-brown.

Similar Species

Slimmer then other drongos.
Difference from Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo with abraded tail feathers shafts by deeply forked tail.

Distribution

Found on the Indian Subcontinent east to Bangladesh, Burma, southern China (Tibet, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan) south to Indochina, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Also on Taiwan.
Common and widespread in most of its range.

Taxonomy

Nominate subspecies
Photo by Alok Tewari
Sat Tal Forest, Alt.5500 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, March-2018

Subspecies^[1]

There are 3 subspecies:

• D. a. aeneus:

• India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh to Burma, southern China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indochina

• D. a. malayensis:

• Southern Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo

• D. a. braunianus:

• Taiwan

Habitat

Sub-montane rain forest and forest edges and broad-leaved woodland.

Behaviour

Often seen flying in large group across the canopy.
Frequents the canopy of forests, at those area where there are gaps. At the forest edges, perches on small trees and bamboo groves from which it hawks for prey, mid-storey level. Feeds mainly on insects, reported to feed on flower nectar.
Breeding season mainly April to May. The nest is a shallow irregular cup made of plant material. It's suspended like a hammock 2 - 6m above the ground in a tree. Lays generally 3 eggs.

Vocalisation

Loud liquid bell-like notes, once heard never forgoten. Also has harsh calls, typical of the family.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
3. Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bronzed Drongo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bronzed_Drongo

External Links

Search for photos of Bronzed Drongo in the gallery