White-bellied Drongo
Dicrurus caerulescens
A striking and courageous inhabitant of well-wooded deciduous areas & forest edges across the subcontinent
The White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens) is a striking and courageous inhabitant of the Indian Subcontinent, particularly renowned in the dry deciduous landscapes of the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana. Measuring approximately 24 cm in length and weighing between 39 to 41 grams, this small drongo is easily identified by its distinctive contrast: a dull, non-glossy black or slate-grey upper body that yields to a crisp, clean white belly and vent. Unlike its cousin the Black Drongo, its tail is less deeply forked, and its overall silhouette is more compact.
Telangana's landscape is dotted with ideal habitats, from the urban oases of Ameenpur Lake, Osman Sagar, HImayat Sagar, Kistareddypet Lake near Hyderabad to the sprawling Singur Dam, the Sri Ram Sagar Reservoir and the Dindi Reservoir. Renowned for its extensive natural resources, breathtaking scenery, and rich cultural legacy Telangana is the eleventh largest state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of 112,077 km² of which 21,214 km² is forest cover. The dry deciduous forests ecoregion of the central Deccan Plateau covers much of the state, including Hyderabad. The characteristic vegetation is woodlands of Hardwickia binata and Albizia amara. Over 80% of the original forest cover has been cleared for agriculture, timber harvesting, or cattle grazing, but large blocks of forest can be found in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve and elsewhere. The more humid Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests cover the Eastern Ghats in the eastern part of the state. The Central Deccan forests have an upper canopy at 15–25 meters, and an understory at 10–15 meters, with little undergrowth.
The dry sub-humid zone or Dichanthium-cenchrus-lasitrrus type of grasslands are prevalent here and cover almost the entirety of peninsular India except the Nilgiris. One sees thorny bushes like the Acacia catechu or Khair as it is known in Hindi, Mimosa, Zizyphus (Ber) and sometimes the fleshy Euphorbia, along with low trees of Anogeissus letifolia or Axle Wood, Soymida febrifuga - the Indian Redwood - and other deciduous species. Sehima (grass) which is more prevalent on gravel is about 27% of the cover and Dichanthium(grass) which flourishes on level soil is almost 80% of the coverage.
Nallamala Hills & forest range
The Nallamala Hills and forest range is a significant geographical feature within the Eastern Ghats of southern India, located in Telangana and stretching into Andhra Pradesh. This ~430 km long range, parallel to the Coromandel Coast, features rugged hills and deep valleys and hosts one of the largest contiguous forest areas in the region, encompassing a significant portion of the Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve. The rugged, sparsely populated hills are composed for the most part of jumbled quartzites and slates and exemplify the mountain scenery of the Eastern Ghats. The range is known for its rich biodiversity, eco-tourism opportunities, and important religious sites like the Srisailam temple. It is bounded by the Krishna River to the north and the Pennar River to the south. The region includes important religious sites like the Srisailam Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The Nallamala region has faced threats from proposed uranium mining projects, which would jeopardize the Tiger Reserve and the Chenchu's traditional way of life. Organisations like HYTICOS and local tribes have actively campaigned against these projects to protect the delicate ecosystem.
In the Nallamalla Hills and forest range the predominant vegetation is dry deciduous forest, with species such as Terminalia (తెల్ల మద్ది, అర్జున, ఎర్రమద్ది), Hardwickia (ఏపీ, నరేపీ), and Pterocarpus (ఏగిస, పెద్దగి and ఎర్ర చందనం). The forest also has a variety of medicinal plants. The forest is home to various mammals like Tigers, Leopards, Sloth Bears, Wild Boar, Sambhar, Blackbucks, and Pangolins. A variety of birds, including rare and migratory species, inhabit the sanctuary. Read about some of the species here. It is also host to diverse reptile species, including the King Cobra and Indian Rock Python and the forest is known for unique spider species like the critically endangered Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica). The Chenchus, a forest-dwelling tribe, are the indigenous inhabitants of the Nallamala forest. They traditionally live a semi-nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle and have remained largely cut off from modern society. The Chenchus have a unique, symbiotic relationship with the forest and play a key role in its conservation.
Uma Maheshwaram is the northern gateway to Srisailam — one of the jyotirlingas, on a hill surrounded by high trees. The Uma Maheshwaram temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva located in the Nallamala Forest around 100 km from Hyderabad on the Hyderabad-Srisailam highway, about 4 kms from the village of Rangapur, Achampet. Nearby hills shield the temple and the 500-metre stretch to PapaNasanam (a mysterious spring of unknown source from which water can be drawn continuously through the year) from sunlight for most of the day, maintaining a temperature lower than the surroundings during the entire year. The area abounds in flora and fauna like the beautiful and Vulnerable Yellow-throated Bulbul.
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White-bellied Drongo
The White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens) is a species of drongo found across the Indian Subcontinent. Like other members of the family Dicruridae, they are insectivorous and mainly black in colour, but with a white belly and vent. Young birds are, however, all black and may be confused with the Black Drongo, which is smaller and more compact in appearance. The subspecies found in Sri Lanka has white restricted to the vent. It is a striking and courageous inhabitant of the Indian Subcontinent, particularly renowned in the dry deciduous landscapes of the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana. Measuring approximately 24 cm in length and weighing between 39 to 41 grams, this small drongo is easily identified by its distinctive contrast: a dull, non-glossy black or slate-grey upper body that yields to a crisp, clean white belly and vent. Unlike its cousin the Black Drongo, its tail is less deeply forked, and its overall silhouette is more compact.
The nominate race found in India is characterized by a smoky blue-grey throat and breast that transitions sharply to white on the lower abdomen. Its iris is a deep brownish-red, contrasting with its stout black bill and legs. It has an average length of 24 cm. While found across much of peninsular India, the White-bellied Drongo is a resident breeder in Telangana's forest tracts. It thrives in:
Dry Scrub and Open Forests: Unlike some drongos that prefer dense canopy, this species is frequently seen in well-wooded deciduous areas and forest edges.
Amrabad Tiger Reserve: This massive reserve in the Nallamala Hills provides the perfect hilly terrain and deep valleys for the bird.
Other Local Spots: Sightings are common in the Ananthagiri Hills and Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary.
In the field, the White-bellied Drongo can be distinguished from its relatives by several key features:
Black Drongo: Wholly black with a much deeper tail fork; lacks the white underparts except in some juveniles, where it appears "scaly" rather than clean white.
Ashy Drongo: Slimmer with a bright red iris and uniform grey underparts lacking the sharp white belly.
Bronzed Drongo: Smaller with a metallic blue-green gloss and a nearly square tail.
In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the white-bellied drongo in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Fork- tail'd Indian Butcher-Bird". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a specimen that had been sent from Bengal to the silk-pattern designer Joseph Dandridge in London. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the white-bellied drongo with the shrikes in the genus Lanius. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Lanius caerulescens and cited Edwards' work. The specific epithet caerulescens is Latin meaning "bluish". The white-bellied drongo is now placed with the other drongos in the genus Dicrurus that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot.
Three subspecies are recognised:
Dicrurus caerulescens caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) – south Nepal to west, south India
Dicrurus caerulescens insularis (Sharpe, 1877) – north Sri Lanka
Dicrurus caerulescens leucopygialis Blyth, 1846 – south Sri Lanka
Birds are often seen singly or in groups of up to three individuals, sometimes joining mixed-species foraging flocks. They perch upright close to the tops of trees and capture insects in the air with short aerobatic sallies. Larger insects may be captured using their claws. The song of this drongo is a series of staccato notes interspersed with clear notes and may include mimicry of other bird calls. Although primarily insectivorous they are opportunistic and are known to prey on small birds. Like other drongos, they use their feet while handling their prey. They have been known to take insects attracted to artificial lights late at dusk. They also visit large flowers for nectar, particularly Bombax, Erythrina and may pollinate species such as Helicteres isora. The bird louse Philopterus kalkalichi whose type host is the Black Drongo has also been found on white-bellied drongos.
Photographing the White-bellied Drongo in the Nallamala forest is a test of patience and skill. These birds are "aerial hawkers," often perching upright on prominent branches to scan for insects before executing swift, aerobatic sallies. In the golden light of the Amrabad valleys, their white underparts provide a sharp focus point against the dark forest backdrop. They are notoriously bold, often seen mobbing much larger raptors or crows, providing dynamic action shots for those with high-speed shutters.
The experience of birding here is immersive; one might hear the drongo's skilled mimicry—imitating squirrels or other birds—well before spotting the bird itself. Organizations like the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HyTiCoS) often highlight the importance of these ecosystems for such charismatic avian species.
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