The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo that resembles a black drongo. It is found along the Himalayas extending east into Southeast Asia. The calls are series of piercing sharp whistles rising in pitch but shrill and choppily delivered. In the past, the species S. lugubris also included the subspecies dicruroides, which is now treated as a separate species, the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from the eastern Himalayan foothills through northeastern India and Myanmar into Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and south through Peninsular Malaysia to the Greater Sundas. It inhabits evergreen and mixed forests, forest edges, bamboo, and secondary growth, and readily uses wooded plantations. Most populations are resident in the tropics, with some local or altitudinal movements in hill regions. It is typically more common in forested lowlands and foothills than in dense high montane forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This brood-parasitic cuckoo closely mimics the form and flight of a black drongo, which may help it approach host nests unchallenged. Its call is a series of piercing, rising whistles delivered in quick succession. The species formerly included what is now the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo (S. dicruroides), split mainly on vocal and tail-shape differences.
From East Pendam-Budang birding area, Sumin Reserve Forest in Sikkim, India
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, perching quietly in mid-canopy and making short sallies. It is a brood parasite, laying eggs in the nests of small passerines, and does not build its own nest. Courtship involves persistent calling and display flights within forest clearings or edges.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A series of high, piercing whistles that rise in pitch and are delivered in choppy, accelerating bursts. Calls carry far through forest and are often the best clue to its presence.
