Black drongo

Dicrurus macrocercus

The Black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) is a bird found in India, Taiwan and Thailand. Farmland and open woods across southern Asia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, nectar and small mammals and birds. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Dicrurus macrocercus
Region	Asia
Found in	India, Taiwan and Thailand

🏡 Where the Black drongo lives

Farmland and open woods across southern Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs40%
🌸 Nectar20%
🐭 Mammals & birds10%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
🦴 Leftovers (carrion)10%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It is bold enough to chase away much bigger birds, even eagles.

Hear the Black drongo

Recorded by David Darrell-Lambert (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1069298. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Black drongo

Where does the Black drongo live?

The Black drongo lives in India, Taiwan and Thailand. Farmland and open woods across southern Asia.

What does the Black drongo eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 40%), nectar (about 20%), small mammals and birds (about 10%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%), dead animals (carrion) (about 10%), seeds and nuts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Black drongo endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.