| Scissor-tailed flycatcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Tyrannus |
| Species: | T. forficatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | |
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Breeding Migration Nonbreeding | |
| Synonyms | |
Muscivora forficata | |
Thescissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), known asswallow-tailed flycatcher orscissorstail, is a long-tailedinsectivorous bird of thegenusTyrannus, whose members are collectively referred to askingbirds. Its scientific name used to be Muscivora forficata until it was changed to Tyrannus forficatus. It is found inNorth andCentral America, and is Oklahoma's State Bird.
The scissor-tailed flycatcher wasformally described in 1789 by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae. He placed it with the flycatchers in thegenusMuscicapa and coined thebinomial nameMuscicapa forficata.[2][3] The specific epithet is fromLatinforfex,forficis meaning "a pair of scissors".[4] Gmelin based his description on "Le moucherolle à queue fourchue du Mexique" (French: "theMexican swallow-tailed flycatcher") that had been described in 1778 by the French polymathComte de Buffon from a specimen from Mexico and illustrated with a hand-coloured engraving byFrançois-Nicolas Martinet.[5][6] The scissor-tailed flycatcher is now one of 13 species placed in the kingbird genusTyrannus that was introduced in 1799 byBernard Germain de Lacépède.[7] The species ismonotypic: nosubspecies are recognised.[7]
Within the genusTyrannus, the scissor-tailed flycatcher is most closely related to thewestern kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis).[8] In easternArkansas and westernTennessee, there is a hybrid breeding zone where the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the western kingbird are sympatric and possibly compete for the same niche.[9] Both these species have simultaneously expanded their breeding ranges eastward over the past 50 years.
Adult birds have pale gray heads and upper parts, light underparts, salmon-pink flanks and undertailcoverts, and dark gray wings. Axillars and patch on underwing coverts are red.[10] Their extremely long, forked tails, which are black on top and white on the underside, are characteristic and unmistakable. At maturity, the male may be up to 15 in (38 cm) in length, while the female's tail is up to 30% shorter. The wingspan is 15 cm (5.9 in) and the weight is up to 43 g (1.5 oz).[11] Immature birds are duller in color and have shorter tails. A lot of these birds have been reported to be more than 40 cm (16 in).[citation needed]
They build a cup nest in isolated trees or shrubs, sometimes using artificial sites such astelephone poles near towns. The male performs a spectacular aerial display during courtship with his long tail forks streaming out behind him. Both parents feed the young. Like other kingbirds, they are very aggressive in defending theirnest. Clutches contain three to sixeggs.
In the summer, scissor-tailed flycatchers feed mainly on insects (grasshoppers,robber-flies, anddragonflies), which they may catch by waiting on a perch and then flying out to catch them in flight (hawking). For additional food in the winter they will also eat someberries.
Their breeding habitat is open shrubby country with scattered trees in the south-central states ofTexas,Oklahoma,Kansas, western portions ofLouisiana, Arkansas, andMissouri west to far easternNew Mexico and northeastern Mexico. Reported sightings record occasional stray visitors as far north as southernCanada andUpstateNew York, as far east asFlorida andGeorgia, and in theWest Indies. Theymigrate through Texas and eastern Mexico to their winter non-breeding range, from southern Mexico toPanama. Pre-migratory roosts and flocks flying south may contain as many as 1000 birds.[12]
The scissor-tailed flycatcher is thestate bird ofOklahoma, and is displayed in flight with tail feathers spread on the reverse of theOklahoma Commemorative Quarter.
Professional soccer teamFC Tulsa features a scissor-tailed flycatcher on their crest. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is also displayed in the background of the current license plate.
The bird is featured on the box of the popular 2019 board gameWingspan.
A scissor-tailed flycatcher named MC Sizzy is featured in the 2015National Geographic Kids TV show50 Birds, 50 States.
