Common Name: Black Drongo
Scientific Name: Dicrurus macrocercus
Nepali Name: Kalo Chibe ( कालो चिबे )
Size: 28 cm
Location: Chitwan, Nepal
Black Drongo has a glossy blue-black plumage, dark brown iris, wide fork to the tail. The adults have a white rictal (The corner of the mouth or the fleshy area where the upper and lower mandibles of a bird meet.) spot. Sexes are alike.
Black Drongo is a common bird found around cultivations, open country, and is generally seen hunting close to the ground. During summer they can be found up to 2000m but are generally seen from 75 m to 1525m elevation. These birds are aggressive and fearless. They can be seen perched on wires, big bushes, perches, and swoop down to feed on insects like beetles, moths, grasshoppers, dragonflies, bees, wasps, etc.
Please feel free to comment below if the above species has been misidentified.
Matrika Ghimiray
Is the fork-tailed drongo cuckoo also known as चिबे? I caught sight of a pair near my house (bluish black in colour) and wanted to know its local name.
Many thanks.
ansr50@gmail.com
Matrika ji, The Nepali name for the Drongo Cuckoo is चिबे कोइली. Where did you see this bird? Thank you so much for sharing the observation with me.
Matrika Ghimiray
I saw it in Pakyong, Sikkim 🙂 I am just trying to be more observant of birds around me. I love your blog.. been helping me a lot. Thank you!
ansr50@gmail.com
Matrika ji, So good to hear that you’re being more observant of the birds and discovering new species, and knowing what’s around you. I’ve heard that Sikkim has a rich biodiversity. Would love to hear from you in the future about your discoveries, and thank you so much for following the blog. Take care.
Bikash Rana
Thank you sharing this. I used to see thus bird in open field of my home town- Dhangadhi when I was young. I was wondering if this bird is still found in plains of Nepal and stumbled upon your website. Rana tharu and chaudhary tharu know this bird very well. In Chaudhary Tharu language, this bird is called as Fetchunga. This used to be one of my dream kill when I was a teenager but I never got one. Now, I want to protect these birds. There are many species of birds I don’t see these days, mostly due to habitat destruction.
ansr50@gmail.com
Bikash ji, thank you for sharing your experiences and also sharing the native name in your language. I totally agree with the decline in bird species due to habitat destruction. The goal of this blog is to show the diversity Nepal has and the need for conservation. Thank you so much for your input.