king-crow

The note of the ashy drongo differs considerably from that of the king-crow: otherwise the habits of the two species are very similar.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

Take thirty-three per cent. off the pugnacity of the king-crow and you will arrive at a fair estimate of that of the ashy drongo.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

The famous black drongo or king-crow (_Dicrurus ater_) is the type of this well-marked family of passerine birds.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

The latter looks like a king-crow with an unusually long tail,

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

Among the latter the most prominent are the grey-necked crow, the koel, the myna, the king-crow and the magpie-robin.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

The king-crow is about the size of a bulbul, but he has a tail 6 or 7 inches long, which is gracefully forked.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

It is like the common king-crow in appearance, but the plumage is glossed with a bronze sheen, and the tail is less markedly forked.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

Several species of drongo or king-crow occur on the Nilgiris, but not one of them is sufficiently abundant to be numbered among the common birds of the hill stations.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

Finn found that it was not deceived by the resemblance between an edible and an unpalatable Indian swallow-tailed butterfly, although the sharp king-crow was deceived by the likeness.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916

The handsome _Bhimraj_ or larger racket-tailed drongo (_Dissemurus paradiseus_), a glorified king-crow with a tail fully 20 inches in length, is a Himalayan bird, but he dwells far from the madding crowd, and is not likely to be seen at any hill station except as a captive.

Birds of the Indian Hills Douglas Dewar 1916