Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
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| Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) |
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) is a long-tailed insect-eating bird closely related to the kingbirds.
Adult birds have grey upper parts and light underparts with pinkish flanks. They have dark wings and an extremely long black tail. Immature birds are duller in colour and have a shorter tail.
Their breeding habitat is open shrubby country with scattered trees in the south central United States and northeastern Mexico. They build a cup nest in a tree or shrub on a branch, sometimes using artificial sites such as telephone poles. The male performs a spectacular aerial display during courtship with his long tail streaming out behind him. Both parents feed the young. Like other kingbirds, they are very aggressive in defending their nest.
They migrate to southern Mexico and Central America. They regularly stray to the ocean coasts of the US and are occasional visitors to southern Canada.
These birds feed mainly on insects which they catch by waiting on a perch and then flying out to catch them in flight. They also eat some berries.
This is the state bird of Oklahoma.
External links
- Oklahoma's tropical ambassador -- The scissor-tailed flycatcher (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/okscisso/okscisso.htm)
- Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter species account (http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i4430id.html) including Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count range maps.