Black Drongo

Black Drongo
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Dicrurus macrocercus

Malay Name: Cecawi Sawah

Chinese Name: 黑卷尾

Range: Breeding Range: (OR) widespread

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: albirictus, macrocercus, minor, cathoecus, thai, harterti, javanus.

Size: 27-28.5 cm

Identification: Medium-sized drongo with sleek, uniform black plumage. Long, deeply forked tail. Told from crow-billed drongo by smaller, slimmer bill and more deeply forked tail.

Similar looking species: Crow-billed Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Hair-crested Drongo

Habitat: Open country and cultivation.

Behaviour/Ecology: Prefers open perches such as wooden poles, fences or scrub.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured reports: Nov 2022

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak week Nov 05-Nov 11
Early date 05 Jul 2008
Late date 27 May 1995
Recent sightings towards the end of Nov suggest that may be the best time of year to look for this rare migrant.
Black Drongo at Tuas South. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Black Drongo at Punggol Barat. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Black Drongo at Batang Tiga, Malaysia. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Black Drongo)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Dicrurus macrocercus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22706961A94099367.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Black Drongo. Retrieved on December 16, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/black-drongo.

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