Greater racket-tailed drongos are medium-sized Asian birds with elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. The tail with twirled rackets is distinctive and in flight, it can appear as if two large bees were chasing a black bird. These birds also have the crest of curled feathers that begin in front of the face above the beak and along the crown to varying extents according to the subspecies. Young individuals are duller and can lack a crest while molting birds can lack the elongate tail streamers.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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PollinatorA pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilizat...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Long-Tailed Animals
The distribution range of Greater racket-tailed drongos extends from the western Himalayas to the eastern Himalayas and Mishmi Hills. They are found in the hills of peninsular India and the Western Ghats. Continuing into the west to the islands of Borneo and Java in the east through the mainland and islands. These birds don't migrate and live in forested areas, mangroves, and plantations.
Greater racket-tailed drongos are diurnal but are active well before dawn and late at dusk. They are aggressive and will sometimes mob larger birds especially when nesting. They are usually seen alone or in pairs but often feed in flocks. Greater racket-tailed drongos 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. Their calls are extremely varied and include monotonously repeated whistles, metallic and nasal sounds as well as more complex notes. They begin calling from as early as 4 am in moonlight often with a metallic 'tunk-tunk-tunk' series. These drongos have an ability to accurately mimic alarm calls of other birds that are learnt through interactions in mixed-species flocks. They may even imitate raptor calls so as to alarm other birds and steal prey from them in the ensuing panic. They are also known to imitate the calls of species that typically are members of mixed-species flocks such as babblers and it has been suggested that this has a role in the formation of mixed-species flocks.
Greater racket-tailed drongos are carnivores (insectivores) and feed mainly on insects. They also consume fruit and visit flowering trees for nectar.
Greater racket-tailed drongos are monogamous and form pairs. In India, they typically breed from April to August. Their courtship display may involve hops and turns on branches with play behavior involving dropping an object and picking it in mid-air. Their cup nest is built in the fork of a tree, often a smooth-bold tree with an isolated canopy, The nesting pair may even remove bits of bark on the trunk to make it smooth. The usual clutch is 3 to 4 eggs. The eggs are creamy-white with blotches of reddish brown which are more dense at the broad end. The eggs are incubated by both parents for about 15-17 days. The chicks hatch helpless and fledge 17-28 days later. They become independent at the age of 4-6 weeks.
There are no known threats to this species at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Greater racket-tailed drongo total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Within their ecosystem, Greater racket-tailed drongos are important predators of insects and also act as pollinators because they feed on nectar.
