Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo is one of the most spectacular and vocally gifted birds of Asian forests. It is entirely glossy black with a blue-green sheen, a distinctive tuft of forward-curling feathers on the forehead, and — in adults — a pair of extremely long, bare-shafted outer tail feathers that end in twisted, spatula-shaped "rackets," giving the bird an almost otherworldly silhouette in flight.

This drongo is also renowned as one of the finest avian mimics in Asia, capable of reproducing the calls of numerous other bird species, as well as those of squirrels and even man-made sounds, often as part of its own varied song.

Key field marks

• Glossy black body with a green-blue sheen
• Prominent crest of curled feathers rising from the forehead
• Two long wire-like outer tail streamers ending in twisted paddle-shaped rackets (may be missing if molting)
• Larger and bulkier than other drongos, with a heavier bill

Similar species

The Black Drongo is smaller, lacks the forehead crest, and has an ordinary forked tail without rackets. The Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (in areas where both occur) is smaller with shorter, twisted rackets and a different crest shape.

This species is found from the Indian subcontinent through Sri Lanka, the Himalayan foothills, and across much of Southeast Asia into Indonesia. It is a bird of dense broadleaf forest, forest edge, and well-wooded plantations or gardens, generally avoiding very open country.

Most populations are resident, though some altitudinal movement occurs in hill regions.

Voice

An extraordinarily varied vocalist, producing metallic whistles, harsh scolds, and an extensive repertoire of mimicked calls from other birds, which it often weaves into its own song, sometimes to lure other species into mobbing behavior or to warn of predators.

Feeding

It hunts mainly large flying insects by sallying from a perch, often joining mixed-species foraging flocks and benefiting from insects flushed by other birds and troops of monkeys; it occasionally takes small lizards or visits flowering trees for nectar.

Nesting and breeding

The nest is a shallow, flimsy cup of twigs and tendrils slung between a horizontal fork high in the forest canopy. Pairs are territorial and vigorously defend their nest against crows, raptors, and other intruders.