Size: 27-30cm

Description: glossy blue-black bird with distinctive long, forked tail which curves slightly outwards, and red eyes. Sexes very similar though female slightly smaller. Often seen perching on wires, poles and roadside trees.

Diet: mainly insects; swoops and flutters from perch to catch them in mid-air. Also known to eat small lizards and nestlings

Song: noisy, particularly at the beginning of breeding season, with a repertoire of harsh chattering, whistling and screechy sounds. Can imitate other birds.

Breeds: April-June.