English: Scientific name: Dicruridae

Phylum: Chordata Higher classification: Songbirds Order: Passerine Rank: Family

Did you know: The family is usually treated as having two genera, Chaetorhynchus and Dicrurus.

The drongos are a family of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics. These insectivorous birds are found in usually open forests or bush. Most are black or dark gray in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright whilst perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground.

The family is usually treated as having two genera, Chaetorhynchus and Dicrurus. Chaetorhynchus has contains just one species and whether or not it belongs to Dicruridae is debatable. Dicrurus contains about 25 species.

They give their own genuine alarm call when they spot a predator approaching - essentially behaving as sentries - and other animals come to trust that this call signals real danger. But they sometimes give this alarm call when no danger exists to fool other animals into fleeing and abandoning their food. The young drongos probably pick up the skill by watching adults. Juveniles will often follow adults on their robbery missions and they make false alarms for themselves after they see their mentors doing the same.