My pre-lockdown knowledge about Black Drongo’s natural habitat was only restricted to rural agricultural areas, far from any crowded city. But my perception changed when I saw this bird in my locality during the lockdown! I remember seeing these birds sitting in a row on either electric or telegraph lines, when I used to visit my elder brother, then a student at IIT Kharagpur. As soon as we would leave the cacophony of the city behind, these Finge, as they are commonly known, would start accompanying us along the skyline. Therefore to see this completely black and fiercely territorial bird on my drumstick tree (can you spot the drumstick already ?) was a very pleasant surprise to me!

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This species doesn’t have a clear distinction for males and females, both are identical. White rictal spot at the base of their bill and long forked tail are prominent features to distinguish Black Drongos.

Resident of West Bengal.

• Very aggressive and territorial bird. Often seen to chase even bigger birds such as crow to protect their territory and other birds of that area!
• Usually they are found to sit on a pole or an electric wire. Then will suddenly fly and capture a catch and come back to the same spot.
• Like to sit alone. If there are more than one, it is highly probable that one of them is juvenile.
• They are excellent mimicker of other birds. Often I was deceived by their perfect mimicry!

It seems to me that these birds have adapted the ‘city life’ quite well! Usually, they are available in all birding hotspots that I’ve visited till now, e.g. Rabindra Sarovar, Rajarhat Wetland etc.