Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family TYRANNIDAE - Subfamily Tyranninae

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A striking bird of the central United States, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is nearly unmistakable with its long forked tail and salmon-pink belly. The state bird of Oklahoma, it is commonly found in only a handful of other states.

Cool Facts

• The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher forms large premigratory roosts in late summer, with up to 1,000 birds in one flock. They often roost near towns, perhaps taking advantage of the large trees as roosting sites.

• The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher uses many human products in its nest, such as string, cloth, paper, carpet fuzz, and cigarette filters. One study of nests in an urban area in Texas found that artificial materials accounted for 30% of the weight of nests.

• Inclement weather can be an important factor in causing nest failure of open country birds. High winds and thunderstorms can destroy large numbers of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher nests in some years, accounting for nearly half of all nest failures.

Description

• Size: 22-37 cm (9-15 in)
• Weight: 36-56 g (1.27-1.98 ounces)

• Medium-sized songbird.
• Extremely long, forked tail.
• Pearl gray upperparts, with a nearly white head.
• Flanks and under tail salmon pink.

• Dark wings and tail.
• White outer tail feathers tipped with black.
• Throat and chest white.
• Bright pink underwings visible in flight.
• Legs black.
• Bill black.
• Eyes black.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar. Females paler, with less intense pink, and shorter tail.

Immature

Juvenile similar to adult, but tail shorter, upperparts duller, wings browner, and no red on side of breast.

Similar Species

• Rare Fork-tailed Flycatcher has dark back and black cap, no red, and the long tail feathers are floppy in flight.
• Juvenile scissortail has a long black and white tail like a Western Kingbird, but has a hint of pink, not yellow on breast.

Sound

Song a sharp and raspy "pup, peroo."

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from southeastern Colorado to southern Nebraska and central Missouri, southward to southeastern New Mexico, Texas, and western Louisiana, into northeastern Mexico.

Winter Range

Winters in southern Mexico and Central America. Some in southern Florida.

Habitat

• Breeds in open grasslands with occasional trees and shrubs.
• Also in towns and agricultural areas.
• Winters in similar habitat, and the edges of tropical forests.

Food

Insects, especially grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.

Behavior

Foraging

Captures most prey by aerial hawking. Also grabs insects off vegetation.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Nest an open cup of plant stems and string, lined with finer plant materials. Placed in small isolated trees or large shrubs.

Egg Description

White with dark markings around large end.

Clutch Size

Usually 5 eggs. Range: 3-6.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless and with only sparse white down.

Conservation Status

The breeding range expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, probably as the result of clearing forests and the planting of ornamental trees. Populations overall seem stable, but it is declining in Oklahoma.

Other Names

Tyran à longue queue (French)
Tirano-tijereta rosado (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Regosin, J. V. 1998. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 342 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.