Bird Album
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis (Bechstein, 1794)
40 gWeight
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.
Busiest months: November · Most records: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania
Where and when it's recorded
Fork-tailed Drongo has been recorded at 507 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 34 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya1,248 records
- Nairobi NPKenya1,160 records
- Tarangire NPTanzania1,016 records
More places
- Etosha NP – Okaukuejo CampNamibia758 records
- Lake Mburo NPUganda758 records
- Mkhuze GRSouth Africa676 records
- Samburu NRKenya667 records
- Buffalo Springs NRKenya622 records
- Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa611 records
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa606 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
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. It is part of the family Dicruridae and has 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Fork-tailed Drongo?
The Fork-tailed Drongo weighs around 40 g.
Where does the Fork-tailed Drongo live?
Its breeding range: Africa: widespread in African savannas. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
When is the best time to see the Fork-tailed Drongo?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Fork-tailed Drongo endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Fork-tailed Drongo as Least Concern.
What does the Fork-tailed Drongo eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Fork-tailed Drongo in?
It belongs to the family Drongos (Dicruridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 40 g
- Habitat
- Woodland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 131 mm
- Tail
- 114 mm
- Bill
- 22 mm
- Tarsus
- 20 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: widespread in African savannas
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Drongos Dicruridae
- Genus
- Dicrurus
Other birds in the genus Dicrurus
Bronzed DrongoDicrurus aeneus
Lesser Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus remifer
Crow-billed DrongoDicrurus annectens
Greater Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus paradiseus
Sri Lanka DrongoDicrurus lophorinus
Andaman DrongoDicrurus andamanensis
Sumatran DrongoDicrurus sumatranus
Sulawesi DrongoDicrurus montanus
Spangled DrongoDicrurus bracteatus
Paradise DrongoDicrurus megarhynchus
Hair-crested DrongoDicrurus hottentottus
Tablas DrongoDicrurus menagei
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by David Beadle. ↗
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