Drongo
I was watching a flock of Cattle Egrets trailing behind cows grazing in the Haor's swampy land. One of them – a juvenile lacking confidence – had caught a small fish in its beak. Before it could swallow the fish a Black Drongo (Fingey) flew in and buzzed the poor bird. Several Egrets came to the aid of the young bird, but the Drongo shooed them away and repeatedly buzzed its target to steal the fish. At one point the hassled Egret dropped the fish. The Drongo dived to snatch it but the Egret was quicker and reclaimed it. The persistent Drongo continued harrassing the Egret. Eventually the Egret dropped the catch again; this time the Drongo snatched it and flew away.
One of our commonest birds, the Black Drongo is sometimes called "king of birds" in our villages. It is ferocious and aggressive, often attacking birds several times its size.
It belongs to the Drongo family, Dicruridae, that has twenty-nine bird species seen in Asia, Africa and Australia. They are well-known for their aggression and their ability to mimic the call of other birds which they use to great advantage. They are black or grey, with forked tails and upright stance when perched. What they lack in colour they make up in attitude and ferocity.
The Black Drongo is one of six species of Drongos seen in Bangladesh. Each has its distinction. The most spectacular is probably the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. It sports a crest of feathers on its head and its tail feathers include two extra long feathers at either end. These feathers are shaped like tennis rackets that trail behind it in flight.
The Bronzed Drongo, shiny blue-black in its back, it smaller but emanates a ferocious energy.
Perhaps our most exquisite Drongo is the Hair-crested Drongo. The edges of its tail curl inward, but its good looks come from a patchwork of blue-black feathers on its breast and back. When the sun strikes it at the right angle, these feathers shine like fine intricate jewellery.
The flight of the Drongo is adapted for hunting. While in flight it can switch directions swiftly to chase insects or flies in any direction. It can also hover while tracking prey. Those of us who grew up playing in neighbourhood fields must have seen Black Drongos feasting on termites on those special occasions when thousands of termites take to flight at twilight.
My most memorable Drongo encounter took place in a Purbachol field. I was watching a bush, waiting for a small bird to emerge from it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Black Drongo hopping in another bush to my far left. I did not turn my head to look at it as I did not want to miss the small bird. Still looking peripherally, I saw the Drongo fly up and perch on an electrical wire. Something was amiss. I turned my head to look at it and was stunned to see it holding a Garden Lizard – caught from the bush – in its claws.
A minute or two later, after it had pecked at the Lizard many times, the Drongo must have relaxed its claws because the Lizard fell out of its clutch.
The bird was unperturbed. In one fluid, effortless motion, it left its perch, swooped down, caught the Lizard in air, returned to its original position and resumed pecking as if nothing had happened.
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