Alexandra Appleman and Andrew Thelander have commented on the aggressive
nature of Drongos. I have noticed with a number of species of birds that
they have special "good-night" songs that they give when settling down for
the night, songs which they don't use during the day. (Or in the case of
the Large-tailed Nightjar, when settling down for the day, that they didn't
use during the night.)
A Drongo, down from the hills for the winter, has taken up residence locally
and its' final calls for the day are, somewhat strangely, mimicked threat
calls of a Pied Butcherbird. Quite appropriate for such an aggressive
bird.
Probably there are no real butcherbirds within earshot to take offence, but
this was not the case with an Oriole that I was tape-recording years ago in
some Pinus taeda plantations in the Beerburrum State Forest (north of
Brisbane). The Oriole was warbling away in a sort of sub-song as Orioles
are wont to do, and it included some Grey Butcherbird threat calls and was
immediately chased very vigorously through the forest by a butcherbird.
Syd
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