The Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher - Tyrannus forficatus - also known as the Texas
bird-of-paradise and the swallow-tailed flycatcher is a long-tailed insectivorous
bird. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is found in North and Central
America. It is the state bird of Oklahoma. They form large pre-migratory
roosts in late summer, with up to 1,000 birds in one flock.
Description
Adult birds have
pale gray heads and upper parts, light underparts, salmon-pink flanks, and dark
gray wings. Their extremely long, forked tails, which are black on top and
white on the underside, are characteristic and unmistakable. The male’s tail is
longer than the female’s. Immature birds are duller in color and have shorter
tails.
Call
The call is a sharp bik or pup, also chattering notes
while the song is a sharp and raspy "pup, peroo," given when perched
or during display flight.
Food
Insects, especially
grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and a few berries.
Breeding
Their breeding
habitat is open shrubby country with scattered trees. The male performs a
spectacular aerial display during courtship with his long tail forks streaming
out behind him. They build a cup nest in isolated trees or shrubs, sometimes
using artificial sites. Clutches contain three to six white eggs with dark
markings around large end... Both parents feed the young.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Over the past few
decades the scissortail has expanded its range significantly. In Missouri the species has moved north to, and even beyond,
the Missouri River. Its Arkansas
range has moved northeastward across the state toward the Mississippi
River. In Louisiana the
scissortail has moved eastward from the Red River area across the northern part
of the state nearly to the Mississippi.
Bird watching
It is common in Oklahoma and only a
handful of other states. Look for scissor-tails in nearly any kind of open
country with scattered trees, such as prairies, pastures, cropland, and even residential
areas with large, open lots.
Oklahoma
Hotspots
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Ouachita National Forest
Red Slough Wetlands
Sanborne Lake
Keystone Lake
Kaw Lake
Prairie and
Crosstimbers
Sooner Lake
Gold Treasure NWR
Wildlife of
OG&E’s Konawa Reservoir and Recreation Area
Deep Fork NWR
Little River NWR
Optima NWR
Ozark Plateau NWR
Salt Plains NWR
Sequoyah NWR
Tishomingo NWR
Washita NWR
Tallgrass Prairie
Preserve
Black Mesa Preserve
Arkansas
River Least Tern
Preserve
Redbud Valley Natural Area