Crow-billed Drongo

The Crow-billed Drongo (Dicrurus annectens) was formally described by the British zoologist George Robert Gray in 1842. Part of the Dicruridae family, this species is defined by its distinctively heavy, crow-like bill and a moderately forked tail, which distinguish it from its many relatives across the Indomalayan realm. As a migratory species, it breeds in the northern reaches of Southeast Asia and the Himalayas, later moving southward during the winter months.

The species is noted for its pointed, aerodynamic wing shape, an evolutionary adaptation that facilitates long-distance migration. While it lacks the extreme outer tail extensions found in some other drongo species, its robust design serves its primary role as an active aerial insectivore. Naturalists of the 19th and early 20th centuries documented these birds in dense forests, where their somber plumage and behavior provided a grounded, functional example of avian specialization within the drongo group.