The Lying Season of the Drongo

Most organisms do not really play by the rules... they just don't give a damn. This week we'll learn about some witty cheaters. If other feel hurt, that's just too bad.

In Africa, the fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) hunts flying insects. When times get harsh, and, especially in the desert they really do, insects are scarce, so the bird needs to come up with plan B.

Meerkats share their territory with these birds, and, well, they often get fooled. By no means are the suricates dumb, it's the bird who's a great trickster.

Here's how it works:

As meerkats hunt, there is always one, a sentry, who keeps an eye out and alerts the rest when danger arises. The drongo will gladly help out. When a predator appears, the drongo warns them with a loud call, and the meerkats escape just in time. What a nice act, you might think. But the drongo does not really care about their safety, it just needs to earn their trust.

When the mob goes on with their search for food, the drongo still seems to be willing to help out. But now, the bird just wants them to be successful in finding food. If a meerkat finds something, the bird instantly produces another warning call, and as the meerkats run for their lives, the bird gets its "well earned" meal.

The bird loses the gang's trust just as fast as it earned it.

However, it does not give up. Hiding in a nearby bush, the drongo waits until another meerkat finds a prey, and when it does, the bird imitates the sentry's alarm call. The sentry is, of course, confused as the rest of the gang runs into safety, because there's no real danger. Anyway, the drongo gets to eat again. Success.

Now, you might think that the bird could not be doing this forever. Who would ever trust it again? But actually, the bird is only deceitful in the winter, when it's too cold for the insects to fly. Under normal circumstances, the bird is an honest helper.

Other species of drongo seem to make false alarms, too!

Common name:	Fork-tailed drongo
Scientific name:	Dicrurus adsimilis
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Dicruridae
IUCN status:	Least Concern
Population trend:	Stable
Scientific reading: