What Is a Group of Drongos Called?
A clever mimic that steals food with fake alarm calls.
A group of drongos is called a bunch (Dicruridae). Drongos are known for their remarkable vocal mimicry, including impersonating other species’ alarm calls to trick them into dropping food.
What Is a Group of Drongos Called?
Bunch is the term used for a group of drongos, a general collective noun applied to this family of small, glossy, highly vocal songbirds found across Africa, Asia, and Australasia.
Where Did the Name Come From?
“Bunch” is a general-purpose collective noun applied broadly across various bird and animal groups rather than one specifically coined for drongos. Drongos themselves are far more famous for their behavior than their group name, particularly the fork-tailed drongo’s documented habit of mimicking the alarm calls of other species to trick them into abandoning food, which the drongo then steals.
Drongo Facts
- Master mimics: fork-tailed drongos can accurately imitate the alarm calls of dozens of other species, including meerkats, using false warnings to scare others away from food.
- Highly aggressive defenders: despite their small size, drongos are famously bold and will attack much larger birds, including hawks and crows, that stray too close to their nest.
- Distinctive forked tail: many drongo species have a deeply forked, often ornate tail, giving the family its common visual identifier.
- Wide range: the drongo family includes around 30 species found across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australasia.
Example Sentences
- A bunch of drongos perched noisily on the fence line at dawn.
- A small bunch of drongos chased a much larger crow away from the tree.
🧠 Test Your Drongo Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.
1. What is a group of drongos called?
2. How does the fork-tailed drongo steal food from other animals?
3. What is a distinctive physical feature of many drongo species?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of drongos called?
A bunch, a general collective noun applied to this small, highly vocal songbird family.
How do drongos steal food from other animals?
Fork-tailed drongos accurately mimic the alarm calls of other species, tricking them into fleeing and abandoning food, which the drongo then takes.
Are drongos aggressive?
Yes. Despite their small size, drongos are known for boldly attacking much larger birds, including hawks and crows, that approach their nest.
Where do drongos live?
The roughly 30 drongo species are found across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australasia.
Small Bird, Big Personality
A bunch of drongos may sound unassuming, but this family more than makes up for it with cunning, boldness, and one of the best food-stealing tricks in the bird world.