Breeding behaviour in the Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus
Allan Briggs
pp. 83-89
Abstract
Over a period of five breeding seasons (between November 2008 and January 2013) the breeding behaviour—including nest-site selection, nest building, incubation and care of nestlings and fledglings—of the Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus was observed at Coowonga on the central Queensland coast, and from this the breeding success was estimated. The breeding season was from November to January, with a consistent start date from year to year. The incubation and nestling periods were also consistent from year to year. A nest was generally positioned in a tree near a clearing and in the outer part of that tree. Several factors contributed to nest-site selection: nest-tree species, habit and height, diameter of the tree’s outer branches, availability of dead branches, proximity of the nest-tree to a clearing and to water, and height of the nest above the ground. New findings were the frequent attachment of a nest to dead twigs and the consistent placement of a nest on the first branch below the spreading canopy of the tree. The occurrence of colonial breeding was more difficult to determine, with many features of this behaviour (such as group nesting and co-operative defence against predators) being evident, but nests were widely dispersed over a large area. Rotation of nest-sites may be used to minimise predation, with some Drongos using a nest-site one year, but not the next, and then returning to that nest-site the following year.
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