drongo
noun
dron·go
ˈdräŋ-(ˌ)gō 
plural drongos
: any of a family (Dicruridae) of insectivorous passerine birds native to Africa, Asia, and Australia that usually have glossy black plumage and long forked tails
Examples of drongo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At the top, a pair of drongos about the size of robins landed in a clump of heliotrope beside me, then flew off.
—
Kevin Gepford, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
But the rare thing was one black drongo bird among them.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2023
Sahas Barve, an evolutionary ecologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, has been taken in by a drongo mimicking an eagle; Sakata once mistook a mockingbird’s screech for a bona fide car alarm.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2022
Forest specialists such as the Indian pitta, white-bellied drongo and common woodshrike were only seen in the riparian forests of Mangar Bani.
—Neha Jain, Quartz, 16 Mar. 2021
But Aussies might want to reconsider their choice of words: According to a new study, the drongo may well be one of the brightest bulbs in the avian world.
—April Reese, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2014
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kevin Gepford, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
But the rare thing was one black drongo bird among them.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2023
Sahas Barve, an evolutionary ecologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, has been taken in by a drongo mimicking an eagle; Sakata once mistook a mockingbird’s screech for a bona fide car alarm.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2022
Forest specialists such as the Indian pitta, white-bellied drongo and common woodshrike were only seen in the riparian forests of Mangar Bani.
—Neha Jain, Quartz, 16 Mar. 2021
But Aussies might want to reconsider their choice of words: According to a new study, the drongo may well be one of the brightest bulbs in the avian world.
—April Reese, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2014
Cite this Entry
“Drongo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drongo. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share