Dicrurus bracteatus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The spangled drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus) is a bird of the family Dicruridae. It is the only drongo to be found in Australia, where it can be recognised by its black, iridescent plumage and its characteristic forked tail. It feeds on insects and small vertebrates. It has complex and varied calls and is a mimic of the sounds it hears. It arrives in Queensland in late spring and breeds high in an isolated tree, producing three to five young each year.
Its basically black plumage is iridescent with blue and purple highlights. Its eyes are crimson. The most remarkable characteristic of its appearance is its tail, which is described by Morcombe as "long, outcurved and forked" and on first examination looks like its feathers are crossed over – like crossing your fingers. Young drongos lack the highlights and spots and their eyes are dark brown.
The spangled drongo displays uninhibited and sometimes comical behaviour as it swoops and perches in search of insects, small birds, and occasionally, small skinks. When it seasonally visits urban areas, it is easily tamed by throwing small pieces of raw meat into the air, when it will accurately swoop and catch... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Birdworld Kuranda | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kuranda Koala Gardens | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Spangled Drongo sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 727 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Spangled Drongo in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against about 20% in April, the lowest month. That is one of Kakadu National Park's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against almost none in August. February has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spangled Drongo sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Spangled Drongo sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Daintree National Park (Australia, about 60%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Spangled Drongo that you can see in Kakadu National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Torresian Crow (about 70%), Willie Wagtail (about 60%) and White-bellied Cuckooshrike (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spangled Drongo is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (727 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 "—". How it works.
