Tablas Drongo
TABLAS DRONGO
Dicrurus menagei
Family Rhipiduridae
endemic, endangered
L 355mm (14"), wing length 142mm, tail length 185mm
Bird # 482 - April 2015
The Tablas Drongo is only found in forests, forest edge, and second growth in Tablas, Romblon. From Birdlife: "This recently split species qualifies as Endangered because it is likely to have a very small population, which occupies a very small range in which its habitat is severely fragmented, and forest clearance, mainly for agriculture, is driving on-going declines in the extent and quality of suitable habitat, and probably causing declines in the population. It may be confined to just one forest block with no formal protection; any further reduction in this area of habitat is likely to qualify the species for uplisting to Critically Endangered, thus close monitoring is required." During our visit to Tablas, we saw how the coconut trees used in copra production were encroaching into the forest.
This was considered a subspecies of Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus. Hair-crested Drongo is called Spangled Drongo in the Kennedy Guide. The Tablas Drongo is larger than the Hair-crested Drongo. It also has a much longer, more deeply forked tail.
More facts from Birdlife: The species does not occur at high density even within the little remaining forest cover on Tablas: the global population may possibly number fewer than 50 pairs, and is placed in the band 50-249 mature individuals (D. Allen in litt. 2011). This equates to 75-374 individuals in total, rounded here to 70-400 individuals.
The species inhabits relatively mature closed-canopy forest, with occasional records from the edge of clearings, although it is absent from open areas (del Hoyo et al. 2009). It has been observed in the mid-canopy of tall trees, often near streams. It is insectivorous, catching prey by hawking and foraging amongst leaves and on trunks. The species's nest is described as a small cup made of thin twigs and vegetation fibres, coarsely woven into a three-quarters sphere and suspended from slender branches amongst foliage in the outer part of a tall tree, high above a stream (del Hoyo et al. 2009).
BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Dicrurus menagei. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 07/06/2015.
Read MoreDicrurus menagei
Family Rhipiduridae
endemic, endangered
L 355mm (14"), wing length 142mm, tail length 185mm
Bird # 482 - April 2015
The Tablas Drongo is only found in forests, forest edge, and second growth in Tablas, Romblon. From Birdlife: "This recently split species qualifies as Endangered because it is likely to have a very small population, which occupies a very small range in which its habitat is severely fragmented, and forest clearance, mainly for agriculture, is driving on-going declines in the extent and quality of suitable habitat, and probably causing declines in the population. It may be confined to just one forest block with no formal protection; any further reduction in this area of habitat is likely to qualify the species for uplisting to Critically Endangered, thus close monitoring is required." During our visit to Tablas, we saw how the coconut trees used in copra production were encroaching into the forest.
This was considered a subspecies of Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus. Hair-crested Drongo is called Spangled Drongo in the Kennedy Guide. The Tablas Drongo is larger than the Hair-crested Drongo. It also has a much longer, more deeply forked tail.
More facts from Birdlife: The species does not occur at high density even within the little remaining forest cover on Tablas: the global population may possibly number fewer than 50 pairs, and is placed in the band 50-249 mature individuals (D. Allen in litt. 2011). This equates to 75-374 individuals in total, rounded here to 70-400 individuals.
The species inhabits relatively mature closed-canopy forest, with occasional records from the edge of clearings, although it is absent from open areas (del Hoyo et al. 2009). It has been observed in the mid-canopy of tall trees, often near streams. It is insectivorous, catching prey by hawking and foraging amongst leaves and on trunks. The species's nest is described as a small cup made of thin twigs and vegetation fibres, coarsely woven into a three-quarters sphere and suspended from slender branches amongst foliage in the outer part of a tall tree, high above a stream (del Hoyo et al. 2009).
BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Dicrurus menagei. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 07/06/2015.
