aeneus paradiseus annectens megarhynchus bracteatus hottentotus balicassius remifer waldenii aldabranus forficatus adsimilis macrocercus modestus fuscipennis leucophaeus atripennis ludwigii A drongo is a member of the family Dicruridae of passerine birds of the Old World tropics.

[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the balicassiao (Dicrurus balicassius) by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841.

[8] The genus Dicrurus contains 28 species:[9] The family Dicruridae is most likely of Indo-Malayan origin, with a colonization of Africa about 15 million years ago (Mya).

Several species of animals and birds respond to drongos' alarm calls, which often warn of the presence of a predator.

Researchers have considered the possibility that these drongos possess theory of mind, not fully shown in any animal other than humans.

[10][11][12] The word "drongo" is used in Australian English as a mild form of insult meaning "idiot" or "stupid fellow".

This usage derives from an Australian racehorse of the same name (apparently after the spangled drongo, D. bracteatus) in the 1920s that never won despite many places.