Dicrurus remifer
The Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (*Dicrurus remifer*) is a striking passerine known for its glossy black plumage, often displaying iridescent blue-green sheens in good light. A medium-sized bird with a body length of 25-29 cm, its most distinctive feature is its deeply forked tail, from which two elongated outer tail feathers extend as bare shafts, terminating in a spatulate 'racket' up to 30 cm long. Adults possess a bright red iris, a key identification mark differentiating it from similar d...
This species primarily inhabits subtropical and tropical moist broadleaf forests, favoring evergreen and semi-evergreen forest edges, clearings, and areas near streams. It is typically found at lower to mid-elevations, ranging from 300 to 2,000 meters above sea level.
Primarily insectivorous, their diet consists largely of moths, butterflies, beetles, cicadas, and grasshoppers, captured through aerial hawking or gleaning. They also consume nectar and occasionally small vertebrates, and are known to engage in kleptoparasitism, stealing food from other birds.
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongos are active, diurnal birds often observed perching conspicuously on exposed branches at the forest edge. They are accomplished aerial insectivores, employing a 'sally-and-hawk' strategy to catch flying insects, but also glean prey from foliage and bark. During the bree...
The Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo boasts a broad distribution across Southeast Asia, primarily inhabiting the sub-Himalayan region extending from northern India (specifically, the Himalayan foothills) eastward through Nepal and Bhutan, and then across Bangladesh and Myanmar. Its range continues int...
Least Concern
- The distinctive 'rackets' on their tail feathers are not present in juveniles, which have an entirely different tail morphology, developing only as the bird matures into an adult. - Despite being one of the smaller racket-tailed drongo species, they are remarkably aggressive and fearless, frequ...