Hyderabad: It sounds like a gray jungle bird, a ground bird. But the sound comes from the treetops. As they turned their binoculars upwards, the birder saw a black bird with a long, ribbon-shaped tail feather that was longer than the body.
It was a larger racket-tail drongo (Dicrurus Paradiseus), a rare parody, Treetops were found near the Bheemunipadam waterfall in Mahbubad on March 31.
As we all know, Drongo is notorious for vocal cord deception and can accurately mimic other bird calls. It was so precisely imitating the ground resident Junglefowl that even experienced birdwatchers were fooled.
“I really think it’s a jungle bird,” said Sri Ram Reddy, a bird observer who recorded the parody. “I then looked up and saw Drongo sitting about 25 feet tall. Its imitation was flawless.”
The larger racket tail drongo is a forest bird known not only for its unique tail but also for its vocals. It can reproduce calls from snakes like Babbler, MyNA and Raptors. Experts say this behavior allows Drongo to compete with competitors and manipulate mixed species flocks.
“It uses imitation to destroy and rule,” added Sri Ram Reddy. “By imitating the alarm call, it may scare other birds and then pour in and take food away.”
This species is often found in forests in the northeast, the western ghats and central India. Telangana falls into its typical range, which makes this rare. The sightings confirmed in the state are limited to the Mahbubabad and Bhadradri Kothagudem areas, with dense forests.
“Bheemunipadam’s dense forest habitat supports its presence,” Sri Ram said. “But in Telangana, such sightings are still rare, as most people in the state have dry deciduous forest cover.”
The forest patches in Telangana in the south are now attracting attention, probably due to changes in habitat use or climate-related changes. Sri Ram added: “Drongo not only visits. Its performance, but no doubt, it controls the soundscape.”
