Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)

OTHER NAMES: Spangled Drongo
Latin Etymology: Dicrurus ("fork-tailed") hottentottus (named after "Hottentots" of Southern Africa)

Adult Hair-crested Drongo (subspecies D. h. brevirostris) at Angkor Wat, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Dicrurus hottentottus brevirostris
Weight: 76-102g  /  Length: 25-32cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Hair-crested Drongo is another drongo species of Cambodia, in this case identified by having a far less forked tail than the others.  I only saw these birds distantly, a flock feeding on the top of a distant tree.  It has been subject to a large amount of taxonomic revision, and even after being split apart from seven other species, still had a large number of subspecies.  Desite being named "hottentotus", it has nothing to do with Southern Africa - this is another erroneous attributation that seems to be recurring in some South East Asian bird species.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Dicruridae
Genus: Dicrurus
SUBSPECIES: D. h. hottentottus, D. h. brevirostris, D. h. viridinitens, D. h. borneensis, D. h. jentinkcki, D. h. leucops, D. h. guillemardi, D. h. pectoralis, D. h. banggaiensis, D. h. fabari, D. h. samarensis, D. h. palawanensis, D. h. cuyensis, D. h. striatus, D. h. suluensis

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA -  Khmer name: អន្ទេបកំប៉ោយខ្សែ (?)

 A fairly common resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen at Angkor Wat

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)

OTHER NAMES: Pale Drongo, Grey Drongo 
Latin Etymology: Dicrurus ("fork-tailed") leucophaeus ("ash coloured")

Adult Ashy Drongo (subspecies D. l. leucogenis) at Ta Prohm, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Dicrurus leucophaeus leucogenis
Weight: 32-55g  /  Length: 25-29cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A very variable species that is found throughout the south-eastern quarter of Asia.  There are a total of fourteen subspecies and they could easily be mistaken for separate species; some like this leucogenis and pale grey with a white eye patch, while others are a deeper blue grey and others still and essentially black.  A forest based species, I saw them a few times in the areas surrounding the Angkor complexes.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Dicruridae
Genus: Dicrurus
SUBSPECIES: D. l. longicaudatus, D. l hopwoodi, D. l. mouhoti, D. l. bondi, D. l. nigrescens, D. l. leucogenis, D. l. salangensis, D. l. innexus, D. l. stigmatops, D. l. batakensis, D. l. phaedrus, D. l. periophtalmicus, D. l. siberu, D. l. leucophaeus

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA -  Khmer name: អន្ទេបប្រផេះ

 A locally common resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen around Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)

OTHER NAMES: King Crow
Latin Etymology: Dicrurus ("fork-tailed") macrocercus ("long-tailed")

Adult Black Drongo (subspecies D. m. thai) at Florican Grasslands, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Dicrurus macrocercus thai
Weight: 40g  /  Length: 28cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The drongos are a family of long-tailed, largely black birds with distinctive forked tail and a slightly crow like vibe, found in Asia and Africa.  The Black Drongo is primarily an insect feeder, and will perch on an exposed spot and use it to spot prey.  Very aggressive to larger birds like crows and raptors, smaller species will actually use this to their advantage by nesting near to drongos to provide some free security.  While native to South East Asia, it has been introduced to some Pacific Islands where it has become an ecological pest.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Dicruridae
Genus: Dicrurus
SUBSPECIES: D. c. cathoecus, D. c. dicruridae, D. c. harterti, D. c. javanus, D. c. macrocercus, D. c. thai

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer: អន្ទេបខ្មៅ ("Black tongue")
 A common resident.

SINGAPORE / CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP - A number seen Florican Grassland Reserve and at Siem Reap

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .