Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides Scientific name definitions

The Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is a small and attractive glossy-black cuckoo of Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The species can be found in a variety of habitats, including woodland, scrub jungle, and open forest. Although it could be mistaken for the Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), its distinctive song; a loud series of 5-6 whistles with each subsequent whistle higher in pitch than the previous one, sets it apart. It is a brood parasite, primarily parasitizing small babblers from the families Sylviidae and Timaliidae. There is no evidence that it parasitizes drongos, despite their similar appearance. Little is known about the species' breeding ecology beyond the identity of its hosts.

The Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is both a resident and migratory species in India, with resident populations currently limited to parts of Kerala and Goa. It migrates to southern India (Kerala and Karnataka) during the winter and moves northward (to Maharashtra, central India, and the Eastern Ghats) during the summer monsoon. In Sri Lanka, the species is largely resident, with the possibility of local migrations.

According to the State of India's Birds report (1 SoIB (2020). State of India’s Birds factsheet: Fork-tailed Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides. https://www.stateofindiasbirds.in/species/asidrc2/. (Accessed on 2020-07-06.) Close ), the population trends of the Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo are uncertain, and there are insufficient data to estimate long-term trends. This poorly understood species requires dedicated studies to better understand its status, as well as its taxonomy, movements, and breeding ecology.