Dicrurus ludwigii
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The square-tailed drongo (Dicrurus ludwigii), formerly the common square-tailed drongo, is a passerine bird in the family Dicruridae. It is a common resident breeder in parts of southern Africa. These insectivorous birds are usually found in forests or dense bush. They are aggressive and fearless birds, given their small size, at 19 cm (7.5 in), and will attack much larger species if their nest or young are threatened. The male is mainly glossy black, although the wings are duller. The female is similar but less glossy. The bill is black and heavy, and the eye is red. This species is similar to the fork-tailed drongo, but is smaller, and the shorter tail lacks the deep fork which gives the latter species its name. The fork-tailed drongo is also typically found in more open habitat. The common square-tailed drongo has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. It flycatches or take prey from the ground. The call is a harsh cherit-cherit. Two to three eggs are laid in a cup nest in a fork high in a tree.
The square-tailed drongo was described by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith in 1834 from birds observed around Port Natal (now Durban... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 5 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 6 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 7 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Square-tailed Drongo sighting in Liwonde National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 157th most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Square-tailed Drongo in Liwonde National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–May and October, the lowest months. Those are among Liwonde National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Square-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.
5th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Common Square-tailed Drongo sightings, Liwonde National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 50%), uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 30%) and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Square-tailed Drongo is recorded against all the birds logged in Liwonde National Park (23 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.
