Spangled Drongo

Description:

This is my very first encounter with a Spangled Drongo, and I helped it out by rescuing it from an overly-aggressive Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala). It had chased this bird into the undergrowth, and there it stayed until I chased the miner off. I managed to get fairly close, and am certain it was more frightened of the miner than it was of me. This is a very attractive bird, and is the only Drongo species to be found in Australia. It has glossy black plumage with iridescent blue-green spots (spangles), a long forked tail and blood red eyes. It also has a very sturdy beak, and my first impression was that it looked like a scaled-down version of a crow. The reference links provide plenty of info. There's a closely related species as well which is also referred to as a Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus hottentotus), but it occurs in other parts of Asia and some south-west Pacific islands.

Habitat:

Spotted in a native garden at the Metroplex on Gateway estate, Murarrie, Brisbane. The Metroplex wetlands are only a stone's throw from this location, and I think that's the area this species would frequent. They usually prefer wet forests, but can also be found in other woodlands, mangroves and parks. They tend to avoid more dense forest types and rainforest interiors. It's a migratory species - Individuals from the northern areas of Western Australia and the Northern Territory migrate northwards to Indonesia, while the eastern Australian birds migrate to New Guinea. Some Drongos in the south-east and central-east, however, remain in the same area or head south, occasionally turning up in Tasmania.

Notes:

Here's a bit of trivia for you. "Drongo" is Australian slang for "idiot", possibly referring to the bird's uninhibited and sometimes comical behaviour as it swoops and perches in search of food. I'm aware of the slang, but had no idea this was the bird it was referring to. PS: Not the best photos, but it was twilight and I was trying to avoid using the flash. An open aperture without the flash brought out the iridescent colours, but lost some clarity in the process. A fair trade-off.