This bird, you see, that aussie drongo, it’s a sight, I tell ya. Black as the night, it is. And it flies around here, flitting about. My old eyes ain’t what they used to be, but I can see that bird clear as day. It likes to sit up high, on the branches, looking all around. Like it owns the place, it does!
That Drongo Bird, What a sight!
They call it the spangled drongo. Sounds fancy, don’t it? But it’s just a black bird, really. Shiny, though. Got these little shiny bits all over it, like someone sprinkled it with glitter. And red eyes! You seen its eyes? They are red like them little candies my grandkids like.
It’s got a tail, too. A long one, all forked at the end. Flies around, chasing bugs, I reckon. Or maybe other birds. It’s a feisty one, that drongo. Don’t let its pretty feathers fool ya. This bird has got spunk!
- Black feathers, shiny
- Red eyes, scary-lookin’
- Long, forked tail
- Flies real good
I hear folks sayin’ it is the only drongo in Australia. Well, good for it, I say. One of a kind, just like me. They come around here in the east, those drongos, and up north, too. Everywhere, almost. You just gotta keep your eyes peeled. You’ll spot it, sooner or later.
That Drongo, a Real Show-Off
This aussie drongo, it’s a real show-off, you know? Flies around like it’s in some kinda air show. Up and down, loop-de-loop. I swear, that bird’s gonna give itself a headache one of these days. But it sure is somethin’ to watch. Reminds me of them airplanes they got, the ones that do tricks in the sky. But this bird, it don’t need no engine. Just its wings and that long tail of its.
And let me tell ya, it ain’t afraid of nothin’. I seen it chasing birds twice its size! Hawks, even! Can you believe it? That little spangled drongo, going after a hawk! It’s got more guts than sense, I tell ya. But that’s how it is, I guess. Gotta be tough to survive out here.
I hear them city folks talkin’ ’bout how many of these birds there are. They say maybe 500. That’s just in Australia though, they got them other places too. Now, I ain’t no expert, but that don’t sound like a whole lot to me. They gotta look out for themselves, those drongos.
That spangled drongo (eastern Australia), they live on this side of the land, see. This old lady knows her birds. At least, I know this one, this black bird. Other one is Hair-crested drongo. I don’t know much about that one. They have hair?
But they like it here, I reckon. Plenty of bugs to eat, plenty of trees to perch on. And nobody botherin’ ’em, ‘cept maybe me, watchin’ ’em from my porch.
Don’t Call Me a Drongo!
Now, there’s somethin’ else I gotta tell ya. I heard some folks, they use the word “drongo” to call someone a fool. A dummy, you know? Now, I don’t know why they do that. That bird, it ain’t no fool. It’s smart, I tell ya. Smart and tough.
Maybe it’s ’cause there was a horse, a long time ago. A racehorse, they called it Drongo. And it never won, not even once. So people started callin’ slow things “drongo.” And then it became a word for a fool.
That bird is a good flyer though. Don’t call me a drongo, you hear? Old but not stupid!
But that ain’t right, I say. That bird, that aussie drongo, it’s a survivor. It’s a fighter. It’s a good bird. So next time you see one, don’t you go callin’ it a fool. You just watch it, and admire it. ‘Cause it’s a special bird, that drongo. One of a kind.
And that is all I know about this bird. Now, don’t you go askin’ me about no other birds. I’m tired. And my stories, they ain’t free, you know. But maybe, just maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll tell ya another story sometime. About another bird, or maybe somethin’ else entirely. We’ll see. We’ll see.
This bird, you see, they are all over the place, in them old countries. Lots of them, they say. Different kinds, too. But here, in this land, we only got this one. The spangled drongo. The one with the shiny feathers and the red eyes.
And don’t you forget it. This aussie drongo is not a bird to be messed with. You see one up in a tree, all black and shiny, you just tip your hat and move along. Unless you wanna be chased by a little black fury with red eyes, that is. Then be my guest!
