Dear Cyanophile
Thank you for posting the video clip of an Ashy drongo which was feeling qutie secure to 'sing'.
But according to my observation of the same species (of both subspecies) which winter in HK, they are
without exception are good mimickers of the calls of other birds, especially when there are birds of
other species nearby. In such situation they usually utter Ap..ip.ip (often repeated twice or thrice),an aggressive three-note call,in a flat tone of loudness falling slightly from first and slip to second and third ones. Very often it is followed by a cold chuckle closely resembling the call of a Crested groshawk. Again quite often care must be exercised for Ashy drongos may utter other variants resembling
other species, notably confusable with those of Orange-bellied leafbirds in Hong Kong.
Intuitively, I feel yours is a young bird whose call is soft and weak, but also possibly some mimicking
of some other birds picked up on his way of growth, again possibly in his breeding ground.
Anyhow, your effort and interest in bird calls are entirely praiseworthy.
S L Tai
[ Last edited by tsheunglai at 3/12/2011 20:55 ]
