Photo: Dougjj / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Hair-crested Drongo
Dicrurus hottentottus
Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus) is a member of the Dicruridae family found in Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 79.2 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Dicruridae Drongos
- Genus Dicrurus
- Species hottentottus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 79.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Dicruridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Endangered
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Hair-crested Drongo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Hair-crested Drongo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus) is a member of the Dicruridae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR, AU widespread, also Sulawesi and Moluccas.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 79.2 g, with a wing length of about 15.3 cm and a tail of around 13.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 7.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Hair-crested Drongo?
The Hair-crested Drongo is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 79.2 g.
Where does the Hair-crested Drongo live?
The Hair-crested Drongo is found across Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR, AU widespread, also Sulawesi and Moluccas, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Hair-crested Drongo belong to?
The Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus) belongs to the Dicruridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Hair-crested Drongo eat?
The Hair-crested Drongo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Hair-crested Drongo migrate?
The Hair-crested Drongo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Hair-crested Drongo endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Hair-crested Drongo make?
1 real field recording of the Hair-crested Drongo — including its subsong — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Hair-crested Drongo's range?
The Hair-crested Drongo has a mapped global range of about 7.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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