Dicrurus Leucophaeus

The ashy drongo (''Dicrurus leucophaeus'') is a species of bird in the drongo family Dicruridae. It is found widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia with several populations that vary in the shade of grey, migration patterns and in the size or presence of white patches around the eye.

Description

The adult ashy drongo is mainly dark grey, and the tail is long and deeply forked, There are a number of subspecies varying in the shade of the grey plumage. Some subspecies have white markings on the head. Young birds are dull brownish grey.

Subspecies ''longicaudatus'' of India (which includes ''beavani'' of the Himalayas that winters on the peninsula, with one breeding population in central India that Vaurie separates as ''longicaudatus'' in the restricted sense) is very dark and almost like the black drongo although this bird is slimmer and has a somewhat longer and less-splayed tail. It is found in more tall forest habitat, has dark grey underside lacking the sheen of black drongo. The iris is crimson and there is no white rictal spot. Subspecies ''leucogenis'' and ''salangensis'' have a white eye-patch as do several of the island forms that breed further south. The calls are a little more nasal and twangy than that of the black drongo.

Distribution

The ashy drongo breeds in the hills of tropical southern Asia from eastern Afghanistan east to southern China, Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan (particularly Okinawa) and Indonesia. Many populations in the northern part of its range are migratory. Charles Vaurie described subspecies ''beavani'' (after Robert Cecil Beavan) as the population that breeds along the Himalayas that wintered in peninsular India. However, later workers include this as part of ''longicaudatus'' which also has a population that breeds in central India. In winter, the species is particularly fond of hill forests. E. C. Stuart Baker described ''stevensi'' which Vaurie considered as being either ''beavani'' or ''hopwoodi'' of the eastern Himalayas. To the east of the range of ''hopwoodi'' is ''mouhouti'' of Thailand and Myanmar. To the north of this range are ''leucogenis'' and ''salangensis'' (both migratory mainly to areas further south but also known from Nagaland) while ''bondi'' is found to the south. Along the southeast Asian island chain, there are number of insular populations including ''periophthalmus'', ''ryukyuensis'', ''batakensis'', ''phaedrus'', ''siberu'' and ''nigrescens''. The nominate form is said to be found on Simalur, Java, Bali, Lombok, Palawan, and Balabac Islands.

Behaviour and ecology

The ashy drongo has short legs and sits very upright while perched prominently, often high on a tree. It is insectivorous and forages by making aerial sallies but sometimes gleans from tree trunks. They are found singly, in pairs or small groups. During migration they fly in small flocks.

A common call that they make is described as ''drangh gip'' or ''gip-gip-drangh''. They can imitate the calls of other birds and are capable of imitating the whistling notes of a common iora.

The breeding season is May to June with a clutch of three or four reddish or brown eggs laid in a loose cup nest in a tree.

References

External links

Ashy drongo videos, photos & sounds
on the Internet Bird Collection

{{Taxonbar, from=Q283608

ashy drongo
Birds of the Himalayas
Birds of China
Birds of Southeast Asia
Birds of South Asia
ashy drongo
ashy drongo