Meerkat Moments: Black Drongo Call #12
Updated: Dec 27, 2020
Somewhere in the vast plains of southwest Botswana, in the Kalahari - a flat desert landscape covered in red sand, patches of clumped grass, and acacia trees - was a meerkat community, led by a powerful female meerkat named 'Quiche'.
Quiche was powerful and aggressive and the unquestioned leader. The thirty meerkats who lived with her in a burrow didn't question her leadership. Quiche kept the burrow safe from predators like snakes, she foraged for food, gave birth to babies (her boyfriend was Salami) fought rivals when they tried to take over their territory, and generally kept everyone in line.
Trouble, however, was in the horizon.
It was early, before dawn. The sky was dark still.
Suri and Catta had been assigned their first tasks as young adults. Suri had babysitting duty: she was responsible for feeding Quiche's babies, all seven of them, while Catta had to climb the acacia tree to keep an eye out for predators. Normally, it was Salami's job to do this, but today the group had to go foraging, so Catta was going to take over.
"We will do an EXCELLENT job!" Suri said to Quiche. "We will. Yes! Ma'am!"
"You better!" Quiche said, gruffly. "Else I'll throw you out of the colony. Feed them roots. Beetles okay too. But no scorpions! I haven't taught them how to take out the stinger yet. Melons are okay, they love melons. Keep a look out for snakes. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Suri said, standing erect, with full attention.
"You two know your Danger Signals?" Quiche asked. "You know about the Drongo?"
"Yes! Ma'am!"
"Let's hear it!"
Quiche's community of meerkats were smart and sophisticated, and had devised a set of secret vocal calls. Each had a specific meaning. Suri vocalized each call, which was totally different than the next call, with Catta doing the same behind her -
Come Over For a Huddle
Come Over For a Cuddle
Come Over For a Sunbathing Session
Come Over To PARTY! Citron Melon and Desert Truffle Found
Come Over To Help - Extra Claws Needed For Digging Session
Come Over To Help - Young Kids Need Feeding and Caring AGAIN
Come Over To Identify - Funny Excrement, Anyone Know Who It Belongs To?
Come Over To Identify - Funny Hair Found, Anyone Know Who It Belongs To?
WARNING - PREDATOR SPOTTED!
WARNING - LIVE SNAKE SPOTTED!
WARNING - DEAD MEMBER SPOTTED!
RED ALERT! SHIT-IN-YOUR-BURROW-INSTEAD-OF-YOUR-TOILET DANGER!
"Good." Quiche nodded. "Remember to feed them several times a day. Stay close to the burrow. Catta - stay on top of the tree at all times! Watch out for the drongo."
Quiche left, her tail high in the air. Salami scampered after her. Others followed.
Suri and Catta shivered almost simultaneously.
It was dark and cold.
They were nervous.
"Seven kids!" Catta mumbled. "Seven? Normally meerkats have two. What's a drongo?"
"No idea."
"But you said you knew what a drongo was!"
"As long as you keep guard we will be fine."
Within minutes, Suri caught a couple of beetles and six moths. It was her first time hunting without her parents and she was proud. As Suri scampered along, wondering if she should go back as she had caught so much already, she found something that was rare in this part of the Kalahari: two rotting citron melons that were green, soft, and very ripe.
"OH!" Suri said, clasping her hands. "Can you smell it? Can you, Catta? It's heavenly!"
"You carry them," Catta said. "I cannot come down from the tree... you know it."
"I NEED HELP CARRYING THE MELONS!" Suri yelled. "THE KIDS LOVE MELONS!"
Catta came down reluctantly to help Suri pick up the melons. As the two were about to go in to the burrow, to eat and share, they suddenly heard their most severe warning call. Call #12.
Suri heard the call first. She immediately dropped her load of beetles and moth and stood up straight. Catta, who did everything Suri did, dropped his food too, and stood up as well.
"Listen," Suri said to Catta, holding him back. "No, don't move. Hear that?"
"Was it the twelfth call?" Suri asked.
"Yes," Catta whispered. "But I cannot see anything."
"You're here with me!" Suri said. "Everyone else is gone. Who is giving the warning?"
"It's too dark!" Catta said. "Maybe it's hiding behind that acacia tree. Run to the burrow!"
Suri and Catta dropped everything and ran. Near the mouth of their burrow, they stopped.
They wanted to keep an eye on their food.
Minutes later, the sun was up, and they could see. A black bird with a forked tail had finished eating what they had dropped - moths and beetles. It had eaten the melons too, with a great relish. Then it flew to the acacia tree and made the sound that had scared them.
Call #12. Red Alert.
"Hello kids!" the black bird said, cackling. "I'm the Black Drongo. That was a FINE meal. Just a WONDERFUL breakfast! Thanks for the spread. Cheerios! See you later!"
"Did you see that?" Suri said, squatting, watching. "That horrible bird. It mimicked not only us meerkats, but our meerkat community's #12 call. How did it know our secret call?"
"We're so gullible," Catta said, as the Black Drongo flew away. "Boy, do I feel stupid."
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