Drongo

"> Drongo in flight. Photo: Ihtisham Kabir
In this land of numerous  colourful birds, the unassuming and plain black drongo holds a special place. With shiny  feathers and v-shaped tail, it is a   recurring sight in both city and  country. It will perch on a pole, a branch, or even a dried stalk while looking for insects on the ground or in flight. When it sees one, it will dive and grab the insect with its beak,  swallowing it instantaneously. Its fast movements in the air appear random, but the more you watch it, the more you will see the elements of the dance of a nimble and powerful athlete.
The black drongo (kalo fingey) is one of the most common birds of Bangladesh, which is home to
several other members of the drongo family as well: ashy, bronzed, crow-billed,    hair-crested, greater racket-tailed and lesser racket-tailed drongo. They are all characterized by their sleek feathers, mostly dark colours, flying prowess and diet of insects.
I once watched a pair of drongo hunting for termites. They perched on two adjacent branches, scanning the air relentlessly. The termites were flying out of the ground near the trunk of an amloki tree. Every time a new termite emerged, one of the birds, its      blood-red eyes gleaming, took off like a rocket, swooping, twisting and   turning, and finally catching it; if the termite evaded and flew up,  the drongo shot up vertically for the catch. Because of their speed, it was difficult to capture their motion with my camera.
However, I can get close to drongos with my camera because they are brave. They will ferociously attack much larger birds – such as crows – that come near their nest. They are also known to act as foster parents to chicks of common koel (kokil) and the   drongo-cuckoo (fingey-papia), feeding and nurturing them. For farmers,  drongos are helpful because they act as a natural pesticide by cleaning      agricultural fields of insects; however, bee-keepers detest them because they eat bees.
The name drongo comes from the indigenous language of Madagascar. The drongo bird family, known as Dicrurus, contains twenty-four species which can be found in Africa and in a swath across Asia from Iran to Southeast Asia. Most drongos have shiny black feathers with purple, blue or ashy sheen. While some wear a distinctive V-shaped forked tail, others have tails that are square or made of long feathers.
A drongo with long tail feathers is the greater racket-tailed drongo (bhimraj.) Its flight is curious, with its two long tail feathers lagging behind, as if being dragged by the bird. It is able to mimic the call of other      animals, a skill it uses with great effect for scaring off creatures and stealing their food.
So, while the drongo may not be the prettiest bird around, it makes up with its agility, its aerial acrobatics and its usefulness in agriculture.

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