So in Australia, if you call someone a ‘drongo’ they’re being a bit of a silly git. But let me tell you, the Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) is anything but.
These are African birds. They hang out on the savanna looking for food and doing whatever it is Drongos do. But that can be hard work, so the Drongo has come up with a devilishly clever way to cheat Meerkats out of their dinner.
Imagine for me, if you will, a family of Meerkats. They spend their time scurrying around looking for grubs and beetles to chow down on. While they do this one Meerkat stands sentry for the family, keeping an eye out for danger. Perched on a tree nearby the hero of our piece, the Drongo, watches with jealous eyes.
Before long, a Hawk flies overhead. The Drongo spots it before the sentry and lets out a warning call. It alerts the Meerkats to danger and they disappear into their burrows. Our Drongo has earned their trust. Once the danger has passed, the Meerkats re-emerge and go back about their business.
But then suddenly, they hear the warning call again. Back to the borrows they scamper. Only this time, it’s a false alarm, there is no threat. But in their hast to vacate they left behind their dinner, and now the Drongo swoops down to steal it.
Eventually the Meerkats return, somewhat miffed now. They’ve been fooled once, but it won’t work again. The Drongo again makes the warning call, but this time the Meerkats ignore it. That could be the end of the story, but our hero has one last trick up its wing. You see, Drongo’s can also mimic other sounds. Suddenly a new noise is heard, not the call of the Drongo, but the sentry’s own warning call. This warning cannot be ignored, the Meerkats flee again. But no, it’s just the trickster Drongo. It’s gotten the better of them again. It laughs its snooty bird laugh.
It’s an amusing behaviour, but the interesting part is that the Drongo seems to display a theory of mind. The idea that the Drongo can understand things from the Meerkat’s perspective, has an insight into what motivates them and can exploit it. It’s still an open question if this is the case, but to date, no animal, not even other primates, have displayed conclusive evidence that they possess a theory of mind. Although there is one other contender, the New Caledonian Crow.
So who’s the drongo now? Technically still this bird.
PS, if you’re curious as to how the word ‘drongo’ entered the Australian vernacular and if it has anything to do with the bird (spoiler, it does and doesn’t) I have previously covered this in Bird of the Week 44.
17/05/2020
Bird of the Week 