Similar to Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo but larger, with a thicker bill and a strongly forked tail with upturned tips.

The species's nest is described as a small cup made of thin twigs and vegetation fibres, coarsely woven into a three-quarters sphere and suspended from slender branches amongst foliage in the outer part of a tall tree, high above a stream.

The specific name, menagei, commemorates Louis F. Menage, an American real estate tycoon.

[4] The IUCN Red List classifies this bird as an endangered species with population estimates of 50 to 250 mature individuals.

This species' main threat is habitat loss with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of legal and illegal logging, and conversion into farmlands through Slash-and-burn and other methods.The species does not occur at high density even within the little remaining forest cover on Tablas: Mt Palaupau serves as a watershed for Tablas Island.

initiate education and awareness campaigns to raise the species's profile and instill pride in locals.