| Ashy drongo | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Dicruridae |
| Genus: | Dicrurus |
| Species: | D. leucophaeus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dicrurus leucophaeus Vieillot, 1817 | |
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| Breeding ranges of the various races according to Vaurie, note that some subspecies are no longer considered valid[2] | |
Theashy drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus) is a species ofbird in thedrongo familyDicruridae. It is found widely distributed across eastern 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.
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 greyplumage. Some subspecies have white markings on the head. Young birds are dull brownish grey.
Subspecieslongicaudatus of India (which includesbeavani of the Himalayas that winters on the peninsula, with one breeding population in central India that Vaurie separates aslongicaudatus in the restricted sense) is very dark and almost like theblack 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. Subspeciesleucogenis andsalangensis 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.[3]
The ashy drongo breeds in the hills of tropical southernAsia from easternAfghanistan east to southernChina,Ryukyu Islands in southernJapan (particularlyOkinawa) andIndonesia. Many populations in the northern part of its range aremigratory.Charles Vaurie described subspeciesbeavani (afterRobert Cecil Beavan[4]) as the population that breeds along the Himalayas that wintered in peninsular India. However, later workers include this as part oflongicaudatus which also has a population that breeds in central India.[3] In winter, the species is particularly fond of hill forests.[5]E. C. Stuart Baker describedstevensi which Vaurie considered as being eitherbeavani orhopwoodi of the eastern Himalayas. To the east of the range ofhopwoodi ismouhouti of Thailand and Myanmar. To the north of this range areleucogenis andsalangensis (both migratory mainly to areas further south but also known from Nagaland[6]) whilebondi is found to the south. Along the southeast Asian island chain, there are number of insular populations includingperiophthalmus,ryukyuensis,batakensis,phaedrus,siberu andnigrescens. The nominate form is said to be found on Simalur, Java, Bali, Lombok, Palawan, and Balabac Islands.[2]
The ashy drongo has short legs and sits very upright while perched prominently, often high on a tree. It is insectivorous and forages by makingaerial sallies but sometimes gleans from tree trunks.[7] They are found singly, in pairs or small groups. During migration they fly in small flocks.[5]
A common call that they make is described asdrangh gip orgip-gip-drangh.[5] They can imitate the calls of other birds and are capable of imitating the whistling notes of acommon iora.[8]
The breeding season is May to June with a clutch of three or four reddish or browneggs laid in a loose cup nest in a tree.[5][9]
