drongo

UK: /ˈdrɒŋɡəʊ/ US: (drong′gō)

Inflections of 'drongo' (n): npl: drongos

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dron•go¹  (drong′gō), n., pl. -gos. 

1. Birds any passerine bird of the family Dicruridae, of Africa, Asia, and Australia, the several species usually having black plumage and long, forked tails.

• Malagasy
• 1835–45

dron•go²  (drong′gō), n., pl. -gos. [Australian Slang.]

1. British Terms a stupid or slow-witted person;
   simpleton.

• 1920–25; probably to be identified with drongo¹, as a name for the Australian bird Dicrurus bracteata; though often popularly alleged to have originated from the name of an unsuccessful racehorse of the 1920s

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

drongo / ˈdrɒŋɡəʊ/ noun ( -gos)

1. Also called: drongo shrike any insectivorous songbird of the family Dicruridae, of the Old World tropics, having a glossy black plumage, a forked tail, and a stout bill
2. a foolish person

Etymology: 19th Century: from Malagasy