Fork-tailed Drongo
Calls & Sounds

The Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) is a common species of drongo found in a range of open habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

What does a Fork-tailed Drongo sound like? Fork-tailed Drongos are a noisy species with a wide repertoire of calls and song variations. Calls include sharp whistles, chirps and scratchy grating notes, while song phrases often consist of complex mechanical jangles and simple melodic liquid sequences.

Fork-tailed Drongos are accomplished mimics and often imitate the calls of raptors. They have even been recorded mimicking the mewing of a domestic cat. Notably, this species has been documented utilizing its alarm calls to trick meerkats into abandoning prey. The drongo calls in alarm as if an imminent threat is nearby and the foraging meeerkat heeds the alarm and drops its meal and runs for cover, leaving the juicy morsel for the drongo to swoop in and steal!

Listen to some examples of Fork-tailed Drongo sounds below.