Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: DICRURIDAE Drongos
Scientific name: Dicrurus hottentottus
English name: Hair-crested Drongo
Characteristic: Size 32 cm. A myna-sized drongo with iridescent black plumage, relatively long tail which widened towards its tip and the tips of outer feathers curled-up; beak long, slender and slightly downcurved; a tuft of exceedingly long hair-like feathers present at the forehead, and sometimes these may extending nearly to its crown.
Distribution: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Southeast Asiz, except Malaysia and Singapore.
Habitat: Widely present in dry dipterocarp forest, mixed deciduous forest, dry evergreen forest, hill evergreen forest and secondary growths, from the plain up to the high altitude of 2,000 m. In Sakaerat area, it is found only in the dry dipterocarp forest.
Habit: Forages mainly singly or in small flocks. This bird is highly nectarivorous and normally seen visiting bright red flowers of wild coral trees, silk cotton trees and others and using its slender and downcurved bill with adapted tubular tongue for sucking up nectar. Some are often observed having dusty pollen grain sticking at foreheads or among neck feathers. Diets consist also of worms and insects. This bird is aggressive and strongly defending its territory by chasing and attacking any invading birds or animals. It breeds between March to May, when a cup-shaped nest is built at the outermost fork of a branch. A clutch of 3-4 eggs will be laid, and they need 14-15 days for incubation.
Status: Regarded as a resident, a passage migrant and a seasonal visitor to Thailand. Quite scarce in Sakaerat area. It is protected by law as a protected wild animal.
