Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo

Appearance

It can be easily distinguished by its downcurved beak and the white barred vent and outer undertail, and the tail only notched with slightly flared tips. In flight a white wing-stripe is visible from below. It is a brood parasite on small babblers. It is not known how or whether the drongo-like appearance benefits this species but it is suspected that it aids in brood-parasitism just as hawk-cuckoos appear like hawks.

The square-tailed drongo-cuckoo was formerly considered conspecific with the fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo , but vocal and morphological differences suggested that the species should be split. That treatment is followed here.