Avibase: Dicrurus ludwigii (Square-tailed Drongo)

Square-tailed Drongo

Dicrurus ludwigii (Smith, A 1834)

The common square-tailed drongo, formerly the square-tailed drongo, is a passerine bird in the family Dicruridae. It is a common resident breeder in parts of southern Africa. Source: Wikipedia

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Classification

Order:
  Passeriformes
Family:
  Dicruridae
Genus:
   Dicrurus
Scientific:
  Dicrurus ludwigii

Original description

Citation:
(Smith, A 1834)

Reference:
S. Afr. Quart. J. vol.2, no.2, pt.1 p.144

Protonym:
Edolius ludwigii

Type locality:
Port Natal (Durban).

Link:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/54196#page/162/mode/1up

Avibase identifiers

Avibase ID:
E79026DEAFCD3557

Avibase ID:
avibase-E79026DE

Short link:
https://avibase.ca/E79026DE

Taxonomic Serial Number:
TSN: 559769

Geographic range:

Dicrurus ludwigii: lowland to montane wooded savanna, forest clearings and edges, and gallery forest, from western Angola and northern Zambia eastward to southern Somalia and eastern Kenya, and southward through eastern Zimbabwe to southern South Africa
Dicrurus ludwigii ludwigii: Eswatini and southern Mozambique to Eastern Cape Province
Dicrurus ludwigii tephrogaster: southern Malawi to Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe
Dicrurus ludwigii muenzneri: southern Somalia to eastern Kenya and southern Tanzania
Dicrurus ludwigii saturnus: Angola, Zambia, and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Katanga)
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Source: Clements checklist

English:
Square-tailed Drongo
Afrikaans:
Kleinbyvanger
Bulgarian:
Капско дронго
Catalan:
drongo de Ludwig
Czech:
drongo lesní
Danish:
Rethalet Drongo
German:
Geradschwanzdrongo
Esperanto:
kvadratvosta drongo
Spanish:
Drongo de Ludwig Común
Spanish (Spain):
Drongo de Ludwig común
Estonian:
kantsaba-drongo
Finnish:
pikkudrongo
French:
Drongo de Ludwig
Croatian:
kratkorepi drongo
Hungarian:
erdei drongó
Icelandic:
Þverdrungi
Italian:
Drongo codaquadra
Japanese:
カクビオウチュウ
Lithuanian:
tiesiauodegis drongas
Dutch:
Rechtstaartdrongo
Norwegian:
Tverrhaledrongo
Polish:
dziwogon prostosterny
Portuguese:
drongo-de-cauda-quadrada
Portuguese (Portugal):
drongo-de-cauda-quadrada
Russian:
Прямохвостый дронго
Slovak:
drongo tupochvostý
Serbian:
Obični ravnorepi drongo
Swedish:
tvärstjärtad drongo
Turkish:
Ludwig drongosu
Ukrainian:
дронго прямохвостий
Chinese:
方尾卷尾
Chinese (Traditional):
方尾卷尾

Authorities recognizing this taxonomic concept:

Avibase taxonomic concepts (current): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2023 (May 2023): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2024 (Oct 2024): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2025 (Nov 2025): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 07 (Feb 2020): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 08 (Feb 2021): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii)
Avilist 2025: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v8 (Dec 2023): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v9 (Oct 2024): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
HBW and BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist v10 (Oct 2025): Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Clements, version 2021: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Clements, version 2022: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Clements, version 2023: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Clements, version 2024: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Clements, version 2025: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Clements, version 2019: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
eBird version 2019: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
eBird version 2021: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
eBird version 2022: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
eBird version 2023: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
eBird version 2024: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
eBird version 2025: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 9.1: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 9.2: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 10.1: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 10.2: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 11.1: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 11.2: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 12.1: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 12.2: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.1: Common Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.2: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.1: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.2: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.1: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.2: Square-tailed Drongo ( Dicrurus ludwigii) [version 1]
Peters' Check-list of the Birds (original): Dicrurus ludwigii ludwigii [version 1]
Peters' Check-list of the Birds (2nd edition): Dicrurus ludwigii ludwigii [version 1]

Taxonomic status:

Species status: full species (sometimes nominal subspecies)

This taxon is considered a subspecies of Dicrurus [ludwigii, sharpei or occidentalis] (sensu lato) by some authors

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Related taxa

Alternative arrangements: 1 2

Highlight taxa in a checklist (shown in red)

Other related concepts

Dicrurus [sharpei or ludwigii] (taxon group)

Other synonyms