AVITOPIA - Drongos

The family of Drongos is found in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia, Australia, and the Solomon Islands. Their body length ranges from 18 cm to 65 cm. The plumage is black or gray and often shiny, the legs are short and their typical sitting posture is very upright. They live in forests and gardens on trees. They are very good fliers and catch insects in flight or on the ground. They are very aggressive towards predators, so small birds like to build their nests near drongos. The vocalizations are very diverse. Drongos are able to mimic a wide variety of bird calls. They use this ability to use false alarms to induce other birds to flee and thus to give up the current food. The nests are built in a horizontal fork at a great height. The females mainly take care of the offspring.