Fork-tailed Drongo

Fork-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus adsimilis

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol Β· PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~60% Β· Likely
at Chinko Conservation Area

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

11 Verified sightings at Chinko Conservation Area From 2019 to 2026
30,304 In all 58 parks
β˜€οΈ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Fork-tailed Drongo

The fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), also called the common drongo or African drongo, is a small bird found from the Sahel to South Africa that lives in wooded habitats, particularly woodlands and savannas. Like other drongos, the fork-tailed is mostly insectivorous; its diet mainly consists of butterflies, termites, and grasshoppers.

Physically, this species is characterized with a narrow fork-shaped tail, red-brownish eyes, and black plumage throughout all of its body. These birds nest close to wetlands, forests, and farms and the breeding season varies depending the region. The female usually lays one to four eggs, which hatch in 15 to 18 days.

The fork-tailed drongo is known for its ability to deceptively mimic other bird alarm calls in order for a certain animal to flee the scene so it can steal their food (kleptoparasitism). They are also known for their aggressive and fearless behavior, often attacking and driving away much larger animals, including birds of prey, when their nest is in danger. Due to its extensive range and stable population, the fork-tailed drongo is classified by the IUCN Red List as a least-concern species.

Wikipedia β†’

Sounds

Call0:10

Botswana Β· 2026

Β© Ehren Eksteen Β· XC1187097 Β· CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:47

Gambia Β· 2025

Β© Romuald Mikusek Β· XC1018268 Β· CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:35

Kenya Β· 2024

Β© Nathan Mixon Β· XC950625 Β· CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Etosha National Park πŸ‡³πŸ‡¦ Namibia
~80%
2 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~80%
3 Meru National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~80%
4 Gonarezhou National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡Ό Zimbabwe
~70%
5 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~70%
6 uMkhuze Game Reserve πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~70%
7 Kruger National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~70%
8 Lower Zambezi National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡² Zambia
~70%
9 Samburu National Reserve πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~70%
10 Garden Route National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~60%
11 Ruaha National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~60%
12 Waterberg Plateau Park πŸ‡³πŸ‡¦ Namibia
~60%
13 Tarangire National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~60%
14 Akagera National Park πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ό Rwanda
~60%
15 Hwange National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡Ό Zimbabwe
~60%
16 Pilanesberg National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~60%
17 Mana Pools National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡Ό Zimbabwe
~60%
18 Moremi Game Reserve πŸ‡§πŸ‡Ό Botswana
~60%
19 Liwonde National Park πŸ‡²πŸ‡Ό Malawi
~60%
20 Tsavo West National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~60%
21 Chinko Conservation Area πŸ‡¨πŸ‡« Central African Republic
~60%
22 Lake Nakuru National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~60%
23 Tsavo East National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~60%
24 Gorongosa National Park πŸ‡²πŸ‡Ώ Mozambique
~60%
25 Chobe National Park πŸ‡§πŸ‡Ό Botswana
~60%
26 Awash National Park πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ή Ethiopia
~50%
27 South Luangwa National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡² Zambia
~50%
28 Kidepo Valley National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
~50%
29 Addo Elephant National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~50%
30 Mikumi National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~50%
31 Mkomazi National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~50%
32 Kafue National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡² Zambia
~50%
33 Serengeti National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~50%
34 Lake Manyara National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~50%
35 Lake Mburo National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
~40%
36 De Hoop Nature Reserve πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~40%
37 Mole National Park πŸ‡¬πŸ‡­ Ghana
~40%
38 Nairobi National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~30%
39 Masai Mara National Reserve πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~30%
40 Selous Game Reserve πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~30%
41 Amboseli National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~30%
42 Niokolo-Koba National Park πŸ‡ΈπŸ‡³ Senegal
~30%
43 Queen Elizabeth National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
~30%
44 iSimangaliso Wetland Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~20%
45 Ngorongoro Conservation Area πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~20%
46 Golden Gate Highlands National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~20%
47 Murchison Falls National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
~20%
48 Table Mountain National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~10%
49 Virunga National Park πŸ‡¨πŸ‡© Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
50 Arusha National Park πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
~10%
51 Aberdare National Park πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
<5%
52 Namib-Naukluft National Park πŸ‡³πŸ‡¦ Namibia
<5%
53 Semuliki National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
<5%
54 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
<5%
55 Kakum National Park πŸ‡¬πŸ‡­ Ghana
<5%
56 Kibale National Park πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
<5%
57 Nyungwe National Park πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ό Rwanda
<5%
58 West Coast National Park πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mombasa πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ Kenya
~70%
2 Abuja πŸ‡³πŸ‡¬ Nigeria
~60%
3 Harare πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡Ό Zimbabwe
~50%
4 Lusaka πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡² Zambia
~40%
5 Kigali πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ό Rwanda
~30%
6 Durban πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa
~30%
7 Serrekunda πŸ‡¬πŸ‡² Gambia
~20%
8 Maputo πŸ‡²πŸ‡Ώ Mozambique
~10%
9 Lilongwe πŸ‡²πŸ‡Ό Malawi
~10%
10 Kampala πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ Uganda
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Fork-tailed Drongo in Chinko Conservation Area?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Fork-tailed Drongo sighting in Chinko Conservation Area on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 47 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

What time of day is best to see a Fork-tailed Drongo?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fork-tailed Drongo sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Fork-tailed Drongo live in Chinko Conservation Area?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Fork-tailed Drongo that you can see in Chinko Conservation Area (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Common Bulbul (about 50%), Sooty Chat (about 50%) and Bush Petronia (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Fork-tailed Drongo sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Fork-tailed Drongo is recorded against all the birds logged in Chinko Conservation Area (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "β€”". How it works.

← Back to Chinko Conservation Area