Fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Mangaon, Raigad, Maharashtra | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Cuculiformes |
Family: | Cuculidae |
Genus: | Surniculus |
Species: | S. dicruroides |
Binomial name | |
Surniculus dicruroides (Hodgson, 1839) | |
The fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus dicruroides) is a species of cuckoo that resembles the Black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus). It is found mainly in hill forests in peninsular India and Sri Lanka although some specimens are known from the Himalayan foothills. It can be identified by its metallic black plumage, straight beak, white barred vent, forked tail and white spot on the back of the head. The fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo's song has been described as a series of 5 or 6 whistling "pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-" notes rising in pitch with each "pip". [2] They are also known for their drongo-like calls such as "quip" calls in flight [3] and "wheep-wheep" call with a higher second note. In Sri Lanka, the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo also has similar calls to the Sri Lanka Drongo (Dicrurus lophorinus). [4]
It is a brood parasite on small babblers. It is not known how or whether the drongo-like appearance benefits this species but it is suspected that it aids in brood-parasitism just as hawk-cuckoos appear like hawks. [5]
Drongo cuckoos are recognisable by their glossy blue to purple or greenish black plumage, their forked tail with slight narrow white bars, their white patch at the base of the feathers and their thin horizontal white stripe in the underwing that is only seen when in flight. [6] [7] The species does not show any sexual dimorphism. The bill is black with an orange mouth lining, the tarsi and toes are black, blueish grey and at times pinkish. [4] Juveniles are distinguishable from adult birds by white spots found across their body (head, wing and breast) and presence of a few brown feather. [8] [4]
The bird exhibits specific moulting steps (Complex Basic strategy) before reaching its final plumage. Juveniles need to go through a performative moult and then a formative moult before reaching their definitive moults. [4] [6] Some birds undergo partial moults and have as such as combination of both adult and juvenile plumage, it is not yet clear the reasons nor the causes for this. [4]
The species' length can go from 24.5cm to 26cm. [8] As all perching birds the structure of the foot is zygodactyle, three toes in front and one behind. This feature distinguishes it from the ceylon drongo-cuckoo also known as square-tailed drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) which appears quite similar to the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo. These two species are often confused for one another which limits the thorough understanding of each species. The foot structure is not the only distinctive feature. The fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo, as the name indicates, has a more forked tail while the square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is much more squarish. The calls of these two species have different frequencies, however this cannot be assessed by ear. [4] [7]
Fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo and black drongo share similarities in size, plumage and forked tail. Like the hawk-cuckoo which mimics hawks, the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo imitates the black drongo among other birds that it is a brood parasite too. [5] However, the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo has a down-curved bill (typical of cuckoos) and can be differentiated by its flight. The cuckoo has a smooth and direct flight while the Black Drongo has more acrobatics or swooping. [4]
Alternative name: Indian Drongo-cuckoo [8]
The species was first described by Brian Hodgson in Nepal as Pseudornis dicruroides in 1839. [9] It was later placed as a subspecies of Surniculus lugubris. It was then put, in 1862, along with Cuculus lugubris, as separate species, in the genus Cuculus. [4] Due to significant variation in appearances and range distribution, a decision to re-arrange the taxa was taken in 1913. They were rearranged as subspecies under Surniculus lugubris as follow:
However, in 1919, Baker disagreed and proposed his own taxonomy based on both wing and tail lengths. He advocated for there to be two species Surniculus musschenbrocki and Surniculus lugubris with each several subspecies:
In 2005 it was suggested that the species should be split from the more narrowly defined square-tailed drongo-cuckoo Surniculus lugubris due to morphological (especially tail shape) and call differences. [8] [10] It has been found that across the Indian Subcontinent the Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo has a lower frequency song than the Fork-tailed Drongo Cuckoo.
There are now two subspecies:
The fork-tailed drongo-cuckoos are mostly found in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. While in Sri Lanka the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoos remain mainly resident with some possible local migrations, in India the bird is both a resident and migrant. Some individuals stay yearly in limited parts of Kerala and Goa, others migrate for the winter to southern areas of India (Kerala and Kernataka) and move North to central India, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Eastern Ghats in summer times. [4] [7] The fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo was spotted as well in Nepal, East Pakistan and even eastward across southern China, southward Tenasserim, Thailand and up to Sumatra as a migrant. [7]
It is found in a variety of habitats, including woodland, scrub jungle, plantations, orchard, hill forests and sometimes in plains. [8] The altitude at which it can be observed depends on the location and has a broad range, from lower Himalayas (~200m) up to 2,600m. [7] [8] It is an arboreal bird that keep to the canopy foliage of trees and shrubs but will go to more exposed bare branches when calling (especially during breeding season). [7] The calls are what helps identify the presence and species of the bird and due to the almost total absence of vocalising during the non-breeding season, they are harder to observe. [4]
The species is a brood-parasite and as such it lay its eggs in other species nests; these eggs are very similar and mimic those of the host to ensure care. [6] It was reported that fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo are brood-parasite on drongos (Dicrurus), forktails (Enicurus), minivets (Pericrocotus) and Black-headed Babbler (Rhopocichla atriceps). [7]
The breeding season starts in March to October (during monsoon season) in North India, in April-June in Sikkim, December-May in Sri Lanka, from January to March in Kerala and in June in Nepal. [8] [7] [6] Songs are used by the bird to attract a mate, their crescendo call is especially used when the bird is excited or when a mate is in the surroundings. [4] Songs are only heard during the breeding season; during the rest of the year the bird remains almost completely quiet. [4] [7]
Fork-tailed Drongo cuckoo are insectivores. Their diet is mainly composed of insects, especially caterpillars and soft-bodied insects caught in flight or snapped from trees, though sometimes includes fruits such as banyan and figs. [6] [7]
The fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo's ability to mimic other birds, specifically those that they are parasitic too, contributes to their survivability. [5] In order to maintain their population and their success rate, hatching juveniles instinctively push out of the nest the hosts' eggs and any hatched nestling. [6] The similarities of the eggs, plumage, body size and shape allows them to pass through the cracks and not be recognised as an importer in the hosts' nests and ensure that the host parents continue to feed and take care of the nestlings and juveniles. [8] [6] [11]
Fork-tailed drongo-cuckoos are included in Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 along with many forest and woodland birds. [4]
According to the IUCN Red List this specie is categorised as Least Concern. However, they are being traded locally as pets and hunted for food. [12] There are for now no large conservation measure except for the protection of identified sites over their entire range. [12] While there are no specific studies as to human activities' impact on this species, general trends like climate change or habitat destruction have been found to negatively affect the Avifauna of the Himalaya region. [13] [14] [15]
The cuckoo, common cuckoo, European cuckoo or Eurasian cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
The fork-tailed drongo, 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.
The Sri Lanka blue magpie or Ceylon magpie is a brightly coloured member of the family Corvidae, found exclusively in Sri Lanka. This species is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble. Its flight is rather weak, though, and is rarely used to cover great distances. In spite of the Sri Lanka blue magpie's ability to adapt to the presence of humans, it is classified as vulnerable to extinction due to the fragmentation and destruction of its habitat of dense primary forest in the wet zone of southern Sri Lanka.
The ashy prinia or ashy wren-warbler is a small warbler in the family Cisticolidae. This prinia is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, ranging across most of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, eastern Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and western Myanmar. It is a common bird in urban gardens and farmlands in many parts of India and its small size, distinctive colours and upright tail make it easy to identify. The northern populations have a rufous rump and back and have a distinct breeding and non-breeding plumage while other populations lack such variation.
The Asian koel is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related black-billed koels, and Pacific koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies. The Asian koel like many of its related cuckoo kin is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows and other hosts, who raise its young. They are unusual among the cuckoos in being largely frugivorous as adults. The name koel is echoic in origin with several language variants. The bird is a widely used symbol in Indian and Nepali poetry.
The Jacobin cuckoo, also pied cuckoo or pied crested cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the chātaka represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst.
The yellow-billed babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka. The yellow-billed babbler is a common resident breeding bird in Sri Lanka and southern India. Its habitat is scrub, cultivation and garden land. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. It is often mistaken for the jungle babbler, whose range overlaps in parts of southern India, although it has a distinctive call and tends to be found in more vegetated habitats. Its name is also confused with Turdoides leucocephala, which is also known as white-headed babbler.
The black drongo is a small Asian passerine bird of the drongo family Dicruridae. It is a common resident breeder in much of tropical southern Asia from southwest Iran through Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southern China and Indonesia and accidental visitor of Japan. It is an all black bird with a distinctive forked tail and measures 28 cm (11 in) in length. It feeds on insects, and is common in open agricultural areas and light forest throughout its range, perching conspicuously on a bare perch or along power or telephone lines.
The greater racket-tailed drongo is a medium-sized Asian bird which is distinctive in having elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. They are placed along with other drongos in the family Dicruridae. They are conspicuous in the forest habitats often perching in the open and by attracting attention with a wide range of loud calls that include perfect imitations of many other birds. One hypothesis suggested is that these vocal imitations may help in the formation of mixed-species foraging flocks, a feature seen in forest bird communities where many insect feeders forage together. These drongos will sometimes steal insect prey caught or disturbed by other foragers in the flock and another idea is that vocal mimicry helps them in diverting the attention of smaller birds to aid their piracy. They are diurnal but are active well before dawn and late at dusk. Owing to their widespread distribution and distinctive regional variation, they have become iconic examples of speciation by isolation and genetic drift.
The Indian cuckoo or short-winged cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, that is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ranges from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and north to China and Russia. It is a solitary and shy bird, found in forests and open woodland at up to 3,600 m (11,800 ft).
The banded bay cuckoo or bay-banded cuckoo is a species of small cuckoo found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Like others in the genus they have round nostrils. They are usually founded in well-wooded areas mainly in the lower hills. Males sing from exposed branches during the breeding season, which can vary with region. They are distinctive both in their calls as well as plumage with a white eyebrowed appearance and the rufous upperparts with regular dark bands and the whitish underside with fine striations.
The common hawk-cuckoo, popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the Shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoo and like many other cuckoos these are brood parasites, laying their eggs in nests of babblers. During their breeding season in summer males produce loud, repetitive three note calls that are well-rendered as brain-fever, the second note being longer and higher pitched. These notes rise to a crescendo before ending abruptly and repeat after a few minutes; the calling may go on through the day, well after dusk and before dawn.
The African cuckoo or African grey cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa where it migrates within the continent, generally arriving and breeding in any one locality during the rainy season. A fairly common bird, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Philippine drongo-cuckoo is a bird of the cuckoo family found only in the Philippines. It was formerly a subspecies of the Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo. It is found tropical moist lowland forest up to 1,000 meters above sea level. It is declining due to habitat loss.
The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo that resembles a black drongo. It is found along the Himalayas extending east into Southeast Asia. The calls are series of piercing sharp whistles rising in pitch but shrill and choppily delivered. In the past, the species S. lugubris also included the subspecies dicruroides, which is now treated as a separate species, the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo.
The Sri Lanka drongo or Ceylon crested drongo, is a species of bird in the family Dicruridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It was previously considered a subspecies of the greater racket-tailed drongo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forests.